


Not At All A Mystery

by Anonymous



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, Fluff, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Friendship, Romantic Gestures, Self-Indulgent, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wishful Thinking, kyoya is way less subtle than he thinks he is, seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:29:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29377824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Why would I, an honour student at the elite Ouran Academy, willingly join something like the host club?Honestly? I was bored. And who am I to walk away from the chance to spend afternoons gawking at hot guys?Audacious, obnoxious, and unapologetically flirty, that's me. Manaka Aki. There's nothing I'm ashamed of. Nothing I care to hide.Drabbles!
Relationships: Ootori Kyouya/Original Male Character(s), Ootori Kyouya/Suoh Tamaki (past)
Kudos: 17
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A rewrite of a (deleted) fic I did in 2016! Hence, this probably won't be as cohesive as a real fic, because it's just what I feel like writing, but hopefully the fluff is still enough.
> 
> For context! Manaka Aki is a half-Japanese honour student who got in on a maths and physics scholarship, and he willingly joined the host club only a few weeks after school started. He's in class 1-A, but thanks to being an advanced science student, he shares some of his classes with the higher years. He's very, very openly bisexual, and thus hosts both male and female clients.
> 
> Kyoya is also gay in this, because, well. Have you seen the anime?

Physical Exam Day

"Kaoru-kun, Hikaru-kun," a nurse cheerfully said to a certain troublemaking pair of twins, "please come this way, it's time for you to have your chest measurements taken."

The girls (and, let's be honest, a lot of the guys) leaned forward at the announcement. I chuckled, leaning back and slipping off my blazer in preparation for coming next. "Please use this curtain to disrobe, Hitachiins," said the nurse, motioning to a curtain hung just behind them, and as I caught Kaoru's eye from across the hallway, he and his twin both smirked.

"Doesn’t matter to me," said Hikaru, sounding utterly bored, as he unbuttoned and slipped off his uniform top, laying the necktie around his neck. Kaoru chuckled, and he did the same, delicately removing his blazer and setting it down on a chair even as Hikaru carelessly dropped his to the floor.

"We're not shy, who needs a curtain?" Kaoru asked, his top sliding off his shoulders, and with him and his twin stood together, identically flawless, creamy skin on full display, their admirers went wild. And, well, if I leaned back and appreciated the sight I was greeted with, I'm not at all sorry.

A couple of doctors came up to the two, but Hikaru had apparently decided that they weren't done hogging the students' attention yet, because he snarled at the doctors and stood protectively before his younger brother. "No! Stay back! Kaoru, I won't let them touch you!" he cried, grabbing his brother by the shoulders and the waist.

Kaoru just giggled, gently laying his hands on his brother's hips and pressing their foreheads together. "What are you talking about? You don't seem to have a problem touching me when we play doctor at home. I can't get you to stop touching me and toying with my body~" he cooed, and then, while the girls shrieked and Hikaru continued growling at the confused doctors, he sighed.

"Hey, Hikaru, how about this," he proposed, leaning into his brother, but still talking loud enough that even I could hear him, "once we're done with the physical exam, you can give me your own private examination~"

Hikaru finally relented, and under the shrieks and giggling, I chuckled, shaking my head. Stupid twins. Stupidly attractive twins. "Well, no surprise the Hitachiin boys are into roleplay."

A silent chuckle came from behind me, and I whipped around to meet Kyoya Ootori's blazing eyes. God, he's hot. "Enjoying the view, aren't you?" he asked, coming up to stand by me and staring at me from the side. I guess he's not used to having to look straight at someone just to meet their eyes.

"I'd be a fool not to," I shrugged, smirking at him. "You aren't?"

"Unfortunately, the twins aren't really my type, especially not together," he said, shrugging as well. His blazer was still tightly buttoned, but his tie and his white undershirt were loosened. And of course, that immaculately combed hair and his oval glasses were fixed in place. "What about you?"

"Me?" I asked, and he nodded, motioning to the twins. "Are they your type?"

I paused a while, taking the time to think. "Hmm. . . I'm honestly not sure, actually. I wouldn't prefer them together, that's for sure. And Hikaru. . . Way too straightforward for me, honestly. Kaoru comes a little closer, but even then, he's way too submissive."

Kyoya chuckled, holding a fist to his mouth to hide it. Fucker was holding his notebook again, because of course he was. "Thought about it a lot, haven't you? I thought you liked the attention they gave you."

"I do," I agreed, shrugging again and turning back to the twins, now nearly done with their measurements after Hikaru finally calmed down. "But. . . I think I'd prefer it if I got that attention from someone else."

"Oh?" Kyoya raised an eyebrow, eyes shining in interest. "Who might that be?"

I chuckled, and after hearing my name called, I turned and walked towards the nurses. "I thought you were a smart man, Ootori-kun," I said, deliberately not looking at him as I began to unbutton my blazer and undo my tie. Then, throwing him a glance and a smirk back, I said, "Figure it out."

"Ah, Manaka-kun!" a guy from my class called out, and I grinned at all the boys waving at me. Besides the twins, I was the only one of the hosts who was openly into guys, and so Kyoya had decided to open the host club to guys, too. Predictably, seeing as Tamaki's princely act was less popular with guys, I and the twins had the highest margin of male customers, with Kyoya coming a close third.

"Hey, you guys! Enjoying the day so far?" I asked, winking, and Daiki, one of my regular clients, cackled.

"Not half as much as you have! We saw you eyeing up the Hitachiin twins, dude!" he declared, backed up by at least half the class, and I could only shrug, giving a sheepish grin.

"Hey, I'm not sorry," I said, throwing my hands up in surrender. "I like guys, shout it from the rooftops. I'll be there with pompoms and a marching band." I winked at them , earning quite a few blushes, and then I cackled as I was called up again. "I hope you're watching me~!"

"Manaka-san!" the nurse exclaimed, much more cheery than any nurse I'd ever seen. "Please step this way and disrobe behind this curtain. Your chest measurements will be taken shortly."

I arched an eyebrow as I slipped off my blazer and tie. "You'd have me hide my body from everyone? I don't think so," I said, letting my white undershirt drop, too. And then, staring directly at Kyoya as I tossed my head back, I said, "I've got nothing to hide."

And predictably, that made the girls and guys all shriek, shamelessly staring and shamelessly ogling me. And God, was there a bigger way to stroke a guy's ego?

Well, it would seem there was, because even from across the hall, I caught Kyoya's eyes, so shamelessly and intensely watching my every move. I cocked an eyebrow. "Enjoying the view, aren't you?" I asked, throwing his words right back at him, and he smirked, giving me a near imperceptible nod.

The measurements were over soon enough, thank the gods, and as I picked up my uniform, I strode back over to Kyoya. The fucker didn't even bother to look ashamed, only letting his eyes rest on my chest instead of my face and smirking. "This is unfair," I declared, throwing my hands up, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Unfair how, exactly?" he asked, and I smirked, throwing my hands up to his chest and carefully undoing his tie. "It's a mandatory thing for every student. Though of course, not many students would choose to shamelessly strip before the whole school."

"I don’t mean that, asshole," I said. "However, the fact that you've seen me half-naked, and you're as conservative as ever, you prudish little fuck. . . That's unfair."

And quickly, before he could move too far away, I grabbed the collar of his undershirt and yanked. The buttons gave way easily, and even the buttons of his blazer popped open, leaving him bare chested, at the least. And God, was he hot.

I licked my bottom lip, not bothering to hide that I definitely approved of what I was seeing. "Now this. . ." I chuckled, pulling off his blazer and undershirt, "this is much more my type."

"My, my, I'd say you're unworthy of your title as my Prince if you think me conservative." He chuckled and shook his head, looking me over again. "Aki-kun, if you haven't noticed, your pants are riding far too low. Your underwear is showing."

I looked down, and yeah, sure enough, you could see the top band of my underwear above my uniform pants. Still, I only shrugged and threw my arms around his shoulders. "Be a good upperclassman and fix it for me, would you, then?"

Kyoya sighed, and gently, he put his thumbs through the belt loops in my uniform and tugged up my pants, before resting his hand on the bare skin at my waist and back. With his halfway sweet and halfway terrifying smile, he said, "What a troublesome underclassman you are," he chuckled, and I did, too. I looped his tie around his neck and tugged him close.

Fucking God, I could kiss him.

"And yet," I sighed, caressing his face and ruffling his hair, making it look like he'd just rolled out of bed, "you think I'm worth the trouble, don't you?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could actually reply, a collective laughing fit that sounded very much like the Hitachiin brothers being attacked by a pack of laughing hyenas cut him off. We both turned, and even Kyoya couldn't hold back a giggle at the sight of Tamaki in just his uniform slacks and a brown wig, much shorter than Haruhi's actual hair and with his eyes still very clearly violet, apparently trying to pass for Haruhi and prevent her secret from coming out.

"What the fuck is going on over there?" I asked, and Kyoya hid his giggle behind his notebook. "He knows Haruhi's, like, two heads shorter than he is, right?"

"It doesn't seem so," he said, chuckling and finally putting down his binder, only to take my hand and pull me over to where Tamaki had gone on to strangle the twins. Apparently, the silliness was their idea of revenge for Tamaki having called us all the homosexual supporting cast.

We paused by the commotion, and I'd say it was for the purpose of staying hidden, only if half the school wasn't staring at us, no doubt wondering about the state of our clothes and hair. Kyoya seemed to notice, too, but besides hiding an exasperated smile and giggle in my shoulder, he didn't say anything. "Do you have a plan, by the way?" he asked instead, in reference to our plans for hiding Haruhi's gender.

I only smirked, shrugging. "Honestly, no, it didn't seem worth the effort this time."

He gave me an inquisitive look. "Oh? I thought you liked having Haruhi in the club? Surely, you're not planning to sabotage our mission?"

I snorted, and cocked my head to where Tamaki was panicking over the failure of their little plan. "Like the plan ever needed sabotage to fail. And besides, it'd be inconvenient if I set up something only to have in conflict with whatever you'd planned."

Mirth flashed in his eyes, the kind that I still couldn't place entirely, and he smirked. "You think I have something planned?" he asked, his glasses glinting in the light, making his eyes look larger.

"No," I answered, tucking my hands into my pockets. People haven't stopped staring, but Kyoya hasn't made the slightest move to fix his clothes or his hair. He cocks his head at me. "I know you do. You're watching everyone and everything intently, like you're waiting for something to happen, or like you know just what should happen at one moment, but the next moment, you don't know suddenly. Not sitting back and watching the shit hit the fan with your hot fucking mug and your stupid goddamn smirk."

Kyoya chuckled, tossing his head back and making an even greater mess of his hair. "My, my, Aki-kun. Did you always watch me so closely?"

"Why, of course, my King," I answered, winking. "Besides, it's not that hard to guess. All I had to do was actually look at the medical sheets we were given to fill in and realise that your family's doctors are doing the physical exam. I may not be able to read katakana and my accent is probably utter fucking shit, but I'm not stupid."

He was silent a while, before giving me a gentle smile which was, honestly, slightly terrifying. "No, you really aren't," he said, shaking his head and then taking my hand, though eventually he thought better of it, and took my tie, tugging me after him. "Come on, let's go end this nonsense. Not that I don't enjoy Tamaki's shrieking, of course."

I giggled as I tagged after him, winking at the guys who were watching us with wide eyes, either wishing they were me, being so casually choked by the unyielding, never-faltering Shadow King, or Kyoya, so easily tugging the ever fiery Shadow Prince along to his every whim. "Oh, I'm sure you do enjoy his shrieking very much."

He gave me a glance from the side, but ultimately, he only gave me his mysterious smile and said nothing. We poked into Haruhi's curtain — and wouldn't that get people talking about just what three guys were doing in private — and Kyoya gently nudged her shoulder. "Come on, Haruhi-kun. I have a special boys clinic, and a doctor sworn to secrecy about your situation."

Hikaru poked his head into the curtain, Kaoru following not too long after. Both of them looked utterly bored. "The doctor's today," "Are from Kyoya-senpai's family's hospitals, aren't they?" they asked in turn with one another, and I chuckled, nodding.

Kaoru pouted as Haruhi marched towards her clinic. "You could have said something earlier, Kyoya-senpai," he whined, but Kyoya only chuckled and gave them a gentle, arching smile.

"I only had the same motivation you did," he said, eyes shut as if he meant to look cheery or calm. "I had to get my own revenge. Frankly, I just don't think I'm supporting cast, homosexual or otherwise."

I snorted, throwing my arm around his shoulders but making no move to make him let go of my tie. "You are homosexual, though," I said, bumping his hip with mine, and he chuckled.

"True, but supporting cast? Me?" He chuckled, and finally let go of my tie, opting instead to throw his free arm around my waist, resting his hand on the my bare skin. "I'm far too egotistical to ever accept that."

•

"Well, that was a fucking disaster," I sighed once we got back to the club room. Physical exam day had been. . . eventful, to say the least. I wasn't all too sure what to think about it, though, I have to admit. . . getting to ogle all the guys getting half naked for their chest measurements was definitely something to look forward to next year.

"Not an entire loss, however," Kyoya said, from next to me, where he was pulling his undershirt back on, though he left his blazer on the desk next to him. The clubroom was mostly empty, with the twins sound asleep in the corner and Mori silently sipping tea by one of the windows. "I imagine you liked the view?"

I giggled, tossing my uniform into my backpack and pulling out a long-sleeved black knit sweater. Because goddamn it, it was early spring and it was goddamn fucking cold. And also, yeah, I still hadn't bothered to put my uniform back on, despite the fucking cold. Why? Because a certain glasses nerd had refused to let go of me on the way back to the clubroom, thus making it slightly impossible to put my clothes back on.

I gave him a sideways glance, and chuckled when very openly checking him out drew the slightest blush from him. "Very, very much, thank you. You did, too, yes?"

"Very, very much, thank you," he echoed, chuckling, and I finally pulled the sweater on. "Though I must say, your admission that you're attracted to someone in particular, despite how much you flirt around with everyone around you kept my interest the whole day."

I chuckled lowly, leaning against the desk while he sat down at the chair. "Careful, there, Ootori, you still haven't figured out my mixed ancestry. Do you really want another mystery to toy with?"

He gave me his gentle smile, and God, how could he ever believe that he looks intimidating that way? His smile slopes gently, almost perfectly decided, and his eyes are half-shut in what is clearly fondness, though he tries to hide it. Frankly, he's quite fucking shit at hiding his emotions, and I have no idea how he's managed to fool everyone that he's some callous, careless, cold asshole.

"Perhaps," he conceded, taking out his notebook again and brushing his hair back with his fingers. "Your mysteries simply intrigue me, Manaka-kun, what can I say?"

"Even my taste in men?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and then leaning forward, letting my hands rest on his thighs so they could support me as I basically leaned over him. "Also, speaking of intriguing, are you not telling me what's in that damn book just to keep me asking?"

He shrugged, though his smile only grew wider and his slight blush appeared again. "Who's to say?" he asked, giving me a sly, subtle wink. "And of course. I'm quite intrigued in finding your type. Someone who's captured your deviant heart must be quite the being."

I smirked. Oh, my beautiful, oblivious Shadow King. "They are, they definitely are," I sighed, intentionally avoiding the gendered pronoun. "Though I really, really don't think you'll find them."

Not as down on your self-esteem as you are, anyway.

He chuckled and gave me his piercing, patented Shadow King look. "Care to bet, my dear Prince? Give me a month; I'll find your mystery."

I threw my head back and cackled, sitting back up onto the chair. "Not at all. That's not information I plan on divulging so easily, and besides, I'd hate to see you lose, especially with how poorly you've been doing at guessing my ancestry." Then, I shrugged and looked away, towards the twins who'd curled themselves around one another, seemingly unconsciously. "Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet. And a little disappointed, I must admit."

Kyoya chuckled. "Well, don't lose hope quite yet. I will find it, if only to get to have your home cooking for a month."

"I still can't believe you agreed to those terms," I giggled, and he shrugged.

"All the same," he said, continuing to write down whatever the fuck he wrote down in that goddamn notebook, "you seemed to have a very distinct set of standards, back there. Is your taste in men so refined?"

"Eh," I shrugged, hopping off the desk, "probably not. It's true that I flirt around a lot, but. . . Really, I've only ever had one boyfriend, and we both know that that didn't end well." And then, I reached over and shoved him in the shoulder. "Also, shut it, you know I'm not strictly into guys."

"Oh, I know, I just. . . I've never had a friend whose been so open about his sexuality. Perhaps I'm looking to you to be my mentor, in that regard."

He gave me his usual smile, and I chuckled. "Fine, fine. And do you mean you don't have a type? Because I'm pretty damn sure you do."

"Well, perhaps, but not one so decided as yours, I think," he answered, shrugging. His hand paused in its writing. "Now, do tell me. I find it very interesting."

I cackled, tossing my head back. "Fine, fine, if you're that desperate for it." Then, after a pause, I sighed.

"Well, I guess. . . I like guys who surprise me. When I said Hikaru was way too straightforward, I meant it. With him, you get what you see. But a guy whose thoughts are a little more clouded, a little more subtle . . . I think it’s much more intriguing." I chuckled. "Though, I guess I'm hypocritical. The one I like. . . he's not as subtle as he thinks he is. God, he's so fucking obvious about his emotions, it's a shock anyone thinks he's actually ambiguous."

"Oh?" Kyoya asked, suddenly shutting his book and turning to me with his smirk. "Your mystery love is a guy, then?"

Quickly, I snapped my jaw shut. "Ah, fuck," I groaned. "How could I be so careless?"

"Well, it would seem you're much more enamoured with your lover than you thought, or were prepared for," he chuckled. "That narrows down the pool of candidates quite substantially, I think. Though it makes me more interested to discover who this secret love is, considering how much you seem to like him."

"Ah, well, whatever," I sighed, leaning back and looking away. "I still don't think you'll ever get it, though I admit, I'm a little scared of what'll happen if you ever do."

"He's that big of a deal to you?" Kyoya asked, and I shrugged. "I guess so. It hasn't been very long, really, but he's . . . He's really something. He really interests me. And I have a feeling that days with him won't ever be boring."

Kyoya chuckled, turning back to his book. "Very intriguing, Aki-kun."

"Isn't it?" I asked, giggling. "And enough about me, what's your type? Hot, dumb, and blond?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Excuse you? Blond?"

"I know what I said," I answered, grinning widely. "I won't push if you don’t want to talk about it, but you're not all that subtle, Kyo-kun."

He was silent a while, and then he scribbled something in his book before abruptly shutting it. "Not all that subtle, hmm?" he asked, his smile settling into something deeply thoughtful and peaceful. "I wonder. . . "


	2. Episode 4, Part 1!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Aki is probably too flirty for his own good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually don't hate Renge as much as I did when I wrote this! So no bashing here! I'm also trying to make Aki a lot more like "The Shadow Prince," since he was called that in the fic even when it was never justified.
> 
> And yeah, Aki is mixed-race. Honestly, this is just because I don't know much about growing up in Japan, and so I'm trying to supplement with my own culture. I'm actually curious to see if anyone can guess who it is before I reveal it.
> 
> The hint he gave Kyoya, and the hint I'm giving here, is that if you take his first name, and three letters from his last name, you spell "You are mine" in his native language.

". . . Why do I put up with you fuckers?" I asked, when I and Haruhi entered the host club to find all six said fuckers dressed up in kimonos and the entire clubroom decked out in shit I frankly can't start to describe. From loose ink wash paintings to calligraphy posters to the mats laid all over the floor, and not to say the least of the outfits the hosts were wearing. They were all dressed up in kimonos, of varying colours and styles, though the twins already looked ready to undress one another because, well, because of fucking course they were.

"Oh, come on, Aki-kun~!" "Surely even you have some sense of style!" the twins chorused, both of them coming up behind me and Haruhi.

"Oh wow, the Hitachiins telling me I have no sense of style, what an injury," I muttered flatly, crossing my arms. Then, I grabbed Kaoru's arm, making him shriek as I picked up the cloth between my arms. "The fabric's really nice, though. It's your mother's construction, right?"

"Since when were you," "an expert on the Hitachiin name, Aki-kun?" they asked, and I snorted.

"You fuckers really think I'll join a club as insane as this without knowing about your families, at the very least?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, the fashion community in particular never shuts up. I know the complete history of the Hitachiin fashion line, and then," I chuckled and smirked, eyeing them both closely, "I know a little more."

The twins shrieked and grabbed onto one another. "He's turning into," "Kyoya-senpai!" they shrieked, and I cackled as I walked over to the aforementioned senior. He was in a deep brown kimono that was tightly wound, much unlike the twins' kimonos, and on his arm, he had a deep green kimono and a navy blue sash draped.

"Conducting investigations on us, hmm?" he asked, when I was close enough, his smile undeniably fond and his glasses glinting in the light. "Turning the tables, aren't you?"

"Not used to being the one stalked, are you?" I asked, giving him a small wink. "Amusingly, it’s actually easier on my end, because of how many of your families are in the public eye. Even the ever illustrious Ootori family. . ." I gave him a level gaze, only slightly relishing in the way his eyes ever so slightly widened, betraying his panic. "No matter how careful you guys are, the public talks, my dear King."

I took the kimono from him then as the twins started trying to get Haruhi into her own kimono. Kyoya, on his part, chuckled and set his oh so precious binder down. "And you're so sure you can trust what they say?" he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind.

"Maybe not all of it, but as you know. . . The strongest lies always have a grain of truth within them," I chuckled, leaning into his hold. Shadow King, huh? He's warm for someone who's supposedly cold and callous.

"Oh? What have you found about my family, then?" he whispered, right into my ears this time.

"Now, now, what would the fun be in revealing that too soon?" I winked at him before worming my way out of his hold. "Now, shoo. Unless you intend on watching me change~?"

He chuckled. "And if I did?"

"I'd say no," I answered, grinning with my eyes shut, much in Honey-senpai's manner. "It's no fun if you don't work for it, Kyoya _-kun_."

Kyoya chuckled again, turning back and retrieving his black book of death. "You do enjoy keeping mysteries from me, don’t you, Aki- _kun_? You know, I'm not used to being in the dark about anything."

"Oh?" I turned back to him, my blazer halfway off and my tie already undone and hanging limp around my neck. "I thought you'd be used to it, _Shadow_ King."

He let out a guffaw, the reaction seeming involuntary. "Get dressed, my Prince. We open in a few minutes."

The twins turned to me, apparently already having finished dressing Haruhi. "You want some help, Aki?" they asked together, leering at me, and I cackled, flipping them off.

"Kaoru, Hikaru," Kyoya interrupted, before I could say anything, "to your stations, both of you. And Aki, hurry up and get dressed."

"Or what?" I taunted even as the twins hurried back, sharing identical devious smirks.

"Or I'll dress you myself, and I won't be gentle about it," he answered, smirking darkly at me, and I cackled.

"Bold of you to assume I wouldn't like that, Ootori!" I shouted as I retreated to the changing rooms.




"Aki-kun!" my guests greeted, and I chuckled, raising my hand in greeting. I'd been late, predictably, because apparently I hadn't put the kimono on right and Kyoya and Kaoru both had had to adjust the sash so I didn't wind up naked in front of all of the club's clients.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone," I chuckled, sitting myself down in front of them and deliberately not sitting right, if only to piss off Kyoya, who was sighing at my bullshit in exasperation. "I just couldn't leave looking anything less than radiant for you guys."

One of my male regulars, Kai, nudged my shoulder with his. I'd made it clear enough that I'd say something if I was uncomfortable with touch, but otherwise, I was a lot more touchy than the other hosts, except maybe Honey-senpai. "Aw, come on, A-kun, you know we wouldn't mind it even if you came out of the changing room in pajamas and messed up hair."

One of my female guests, a second year named Sora, snorted and shoved Kai in the shoulder. "What kind of fantasies have you been having about Aki-kun, exactly?"

I chuckled, taking Kai by his chin and tilting his head towards me. His face darkened in a blush, and holding in my laughter, I let my hands trace their way down his back and his arms. "Yes, Kai, what have you been dreaming of? Maybe I can do something towards making your dreams come true~"

And see, the great thing about being a host who's so carefree and who doesn't give a damn about a character, is that your clients feel a lot more like your friends. Kai, despite his blush, chuckled and leaned into me as well, laying his hand on my thigh. "Do you really think you're up to it, A-kun?" he drawled, using on me the nickname all my clients seem to have telepathically agreed on.

"Of course," I answered, leering and leaning even closer. "I should ask you that~"

And now, cue the shrieking. Another of my clients, a first year model, smacked Kai in the thigh. "Stop hogging him, you jerk!" she giggled, and acting quickly, I caught her arm and tugged her to me as well, with enough force that she lost her balance and fell into my lap.

"Aw, don’t worry, my beautiful star; I have enough love for all of you," I cooed, low and rough into her ear. "Enough energy for something else, too~."

. . . Aaand more shrieking. I chuckled when some of my more bashful clients turned away, blushing, the girls crumpling their skirts under their fists and the guys awkwardly adjusting their blazers or ties. As always, I had the highest density of male clients, with a few more sitting by the twins and others just randomly dotted around the room, having tea and cakes and the weird fondant sweets that the twins had brought by that morning.

We continued talking after that, mostly about random things. Many things were said about the little scenes Kyoya and I put on during physical exam day — "To be honest, I'm kind of disappointed he didn’t pull your pants down," a particularly bold client had said, and I'd cackled like a witch — and others about just why Tamaki was cosplaying Haruhi and whether or not I thought Tamaki was hot — "He's a dumbass, that's why," and "Nah, hot, dumb, and blond isn't my type."

That, of course, was followed with questions of what my type was, answered by me winking and saying that they still had to guess that.

Eventually, I was free, and I wandered over to where Kyoya was sitting. Well, kneeling, with a calligraphy brush and the loose notebook that he'd apparently traded his trademark book of death for.

Before he could turn or stand, I came up behind him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders from behind and resting my chin on the top of his head. He only sighed in exasperation, not even stopping the motions of his brush. "Well, hello there," he chuckled, leaning into my touch ever so slightly, as if unconsciously. "Done for the day?"

"Yeah," I sighed, resting against him. "Fun clients, today. And a lot of questions about your little stunt during the physical exams." I giggled, and he sighed, though he sounded far too fond for me to take offense.

"It certainly was an interesting day, I'll give it that," he chuckled. "Oh, about the fact that you have no clue how to put on a kimono, shall I rule out the option of you growing up in a country that frequently wears tradition clothing?"

I snorted. "You could, or you could consider that I just never gave a damn about traditional clothing, regardless of my upbringing." I sighed into his hair and then nuzzled closer.

He chuckled again. He was doing calligraphy, as was to be expected with the brush, and gently, he wrote the word for 'summer' in his gorgeous, graceful kanji handwriting. "I suppose that's equally likely," he conceded, and I giggled into his hair.

"Oh, Kyoya!" a couple of second years called, coming up to us and kneeling in front of Kyoya. What a sight we must have made, really, with me rumpled and careless, draped over the ever formal and perfectly made Kyoya Ootori. "You look so good in your kimono!"

"Are there any new photo books for the host club coming out soon?" they asked, and Kyoya gave them a patient smile, not a bit of him seeming like he was annoyed by their presence. Frankly, one could wonder if he liked the attention as much as I did.

"Unfortunately, no, there still aren't any plans for future photo collections," he answered, and the girls sighed, but made no move to, well, move.

"Why not?" Kaoru asked, popping up above the divider with his brother. "I thought the club made a lot off of the merchandise we release?"

I snorted. " _'Merchandise'_ , sure."

Kyoya rolled his eyes and elbowed me, trying to be subtle, but as always being plainly obvious about the fact that he agreed with me. "The merchandise itself is pathetic, unfortunately," he grumbled, all his previous charm dropped, but not entirely lost. "We call them photo collections, but they're really nothing more than amateur hidden camera shots. If we want to draw more funds and not have to rely on the academy budget, we'll have to start making much more high quality content."

"Hmm, high quality content, huh?" I asked, a wide smirk on my face as I reached for my backpack — which the bastard had kept near him, apparently so I wouldn't go on my phone during breaks and play my apparently ear-splitting music — and pulled out a small, but bulging folder of photographs. I pulled out a few and handed them to Kyoya, as well as to the girls who were still watching us.

The girls looked to me, eyes wide, and I gave them my traditional mischievous smile. The photographs were ones I had taken with some of my guests one day, when we'd decided to see if we could guess everyone's favourite hosts based on how we took their pictures. I hadn't been found out yet, luckily, though I did permission to use the photos in club merchandise.

And while they weren't quite professional level, they were leagues better than the photos previously included in the photobooks.

"These are gorgeous, Aki-kun!"one of the girls declared, staring at the photo of Mori I'd handed her, consisting of him gently smiling at nothing in particular, shot from a 3/4ths view and with the blue sky visible from the windows near him.

Kyoya gave me a curious glance, and I only winked. He'd ended up with a picture I hadn't taken but one I had caused, with him caught in the middle of an unexpected bout of laughter, his head thrown back, his eyes shut tight, and his face relaxed, for once.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, looking half confused and half impressed. "I know you didn't take it; you were there with me when it was taken."

"Of course I didn't, and of course I won't reveal my sources," I giggled, especially when he sighed and shook his head with a smile, as if having expected my response. Then, calming down a little, I took his hand, tilting the picture towards me, smiling at his expression. "You look beautiful in this picture, you know."

He chuckled, lifting his sleeve to his lips to hide the burst of laughter that I knew was coming. "Of course you'd say that; I was laughing at _you_ ," he said, his voice slightly breathless with his laughter, and I had to laugh alongside him. "How vain you are, Aki-kun."

"I thought you knew that already, my dear King," I chuckled, relishing in both the way it only made Kyoya laugh harder and the girls squeal, probably as excited as me to see the ever stoic Shadow King lose even the slightest bit of his composure. Or they just liked the photos, either or. "Anyway, is it safe to say that we officially have plans for a new collection?"

He sighed, sounding far too fond and pleased for the infamous Shadow King. And God, wasn't that just amazing?

"I suppose we do," he said, and the girls shrieked, grabbing hands in their excitement. He seemed about as amused by them as I was. "You may keep those photos, ladies, assuming Aki-kun has copies?"

The girls turned to me with eager eyes, and I chuckled, nodding easily. "Of course I do," I assured them, and then, just because it was fun, frankly, I added, "but unfortunately, ladies, there are some pictures I cannot share with you."

I turned to Kyoya and forced our eyes to meet, making the hand he held the brush with go limp and making his eyes go wide. "Some of them, I saved for you alone, my King~"

His eyes went ever so slightly wider but he kept his face carefully neutral, as if wondering whether or not I meant what I was saying. Eventually, however, he chuckled, taking me by my arm and tugging me so I stumbled straight into his lap. "I don't think any picture could replace the real thing, Aki-kun," he whispered, our foreheads touching, and sending the guests who were watching us shrieking and giggling.

Eventually, he let go of me and picked his calligraphy brush and pad back up, and I laid down next to him, looking up at the motions of his hands. "I didn't know you did calligraphy," I began, and he shrugged, giving me his gentle smile.

"I usually don't bother," he said. "Art interests me, that's for sure, and I was a very avid painter for a while, but. . ."

"Why'd you stop?" I asked, and he sighed and looked away, though thankfully it seemed he was more dramatic than offended or annoyed. Still, just in case, I reached up and squeezed his hand, and he gave me a small smile.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure," he sighed, and set down his calligraphy pad. I rolled over to look at it, and on it, he'd written the Japanese characters for "autumn."

The Japanese characters for my name.

"Maybe you just need the right subject," I said, tracing over the wet ink with my hands. The motions and the curves in the letters were smooth and graceful, and the black ink against the soft, lavender rice paper made for perfect contrast. He'd clearly done calligraphy many times before.

I rolled over again, and gasped to find him staring at me. His eyes blazed with an intensity I still didn’t fully understand, not the kind that threatened me, but not the kind that soothed me, either. Then, after a moment, he reached down and brushed his fingers over my hair, sweeping them away from my eyes. "Perhaps," he whispered, sounding distracted and distant, and I couldn't help the blush that that drew from me.

I looked away, but as I did, something across the club room caught my eye. A girl with honey brown hair watched us from the entrance, a bright pink ribbon atop her head and her eyes wide and curious.

"We got a shy one," I announced, and Kyoya raised an eyebrow at me. I motioned to the girl, and then frowned when I realised that the sudden widening of his eyes was a flash of recognition, as well as surprise. Usually, the fucker was surprised by anything.

"You gonna go to her?" I asked, and he shook his head. "Well, I am," I declared, getting to my feet and going up to the girl.

"Hey, what are you doing just watching?" I asked, casually cocking my head at her. She's about as tall as Haruhi, which means she's about two heads shorter than me. "What's the fun in just standing there, waiting? You waiting to catch a host's eye?"

She didn’t say anything, for a while, just staring, before she lost her cute look and snarled at me. "Get away from me!" she hissed, causing me to stumble back, because _Christ_ did she look mad. "All afternoon you've done nothing but brush away your customers' affections and insult your fellow hosts! You've got nothing going for you but your looks, but even those won't save you when your clients realise that you don't really care about them! You're cheap, and detached, and completely uninteresting!"

I backed off, hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, Jesus fuck, dude. I'm clearly not your type; you could've just said so."

Kyoya hid a laugh behind his sleeve as I joined back up with him. "Not used to rejection, are you?"

"Shut it, Ootori."

"I don't think so, Manaka- _kun_ ," he said, still laughing behind his sleeve and still generally being annoying. Annoyingly good-looking. And also annoyingly hypocritical, because how on earth had he convinced everyone that he was some serious businessman who never lets himself relax?

Tamaki had apparently caught wind of my disaster of an interaction, because he went up the girl next. "I'm sorry for Aki-kun, my princess," he sighed far too exaggeratedly, "he's not the most gentlemanly type, and even to our first time guests, he's by no means courteous. Please, you don’t have to be afraid. Welcome to the Ouran host club~!"

At first, she said nothing, and I thought for a few hot seconds that yeah, Tamaki was more her type than me. After all, he put his all into hosting and he always did his best to make his clients blush and fall in love, which, despite my slutty way of hosting, is not my thing.

  
However, she screamed and pushed him away. "Don't touch me! You're phony!"

Every damn soul in the club room froze. Sure, there were plenty of people who just weren't interested in Tamaki, but never had he ever been so fiercely rejected, apparently. "Ph- phony?" Tamaki stammered, stumbling back much in the same way I did. "Me?"

"Yes!" The girl pointed her finger directly in his face. "I find it hard to believe that someone like you is the Prince character of this Host Club! You can't go and spread your love around so cheaply like that, you stupid, dimwitted narcissist! You're hideous! You're incompetent! You're a commoner! You're disgusting!"

"Oh, wow, totally not offensive at all," I chuckled, then shook my head. "Though fuck am I glad I wasn't on the end of that rant in particular." Tamaki, by then, had fallen to the floor, apparently much more confident in his hosting skills than I ever was, and thus much more affected. "You wanna bet she'll go off on you next?"

Kyoya snorted. "That's a fool's gamble. I won't be approaching her."

I giggled and raised an eyebrow. "Afraid she'll rebuke you, too? After no man nor woman before has ever failed to fall for your charms?"

"You've never fallen for my charms," he said, watching me with his patented smirk and his voice carefully devoid of any of his laughter. I only gave him an inquisitive look.

"How sure are you of that?"

Of course, the fucker didn’t even bother to try and look surprised, though in his eyes, I saw a hint of flattery. However, he never got the chance to reply, because when he turned and saw the new girl who had just reduced Tamaki into a pile of ash, his face took on that same expression of recognition. "I don't suppose you're. . ."

"Who the fuck is she?" I asked, but again, he never got the chance to reply, because the new girl fucking _lit up_ the second she saw him, losing all traces of her previous anger, and fucking _jumped_ at him.

"It's you, Kyoya!" she exclaimed, with about as much drama as the dude she'd just turned into ash. She crashed into him and wrapped her arms around his waist, tears in her eyes as she hugged him tight. "Oh, how I've longed to meet you, my one and only Prince Charming!"

I blurted out, then and there, just what everyone was thinking.

"Excuse me but what the _fuck_?"




"She's what now?" I asked, after club hours had ended and we could figure out the mystery of the mystery maiden.

"Your fiancé?" Hikaru asked, looking about as confused as I felt, and also as confused as everyone who'd been there when Kyoya came out. "But wait, hold on, I thought you were—"

"Hikaru!" I and Kaoru chorused, though I shut up so that Kaoru could discipline his own brother. "We don't know if she's allowed to know that!"

"Alright, fine, fine," Hikaru grumbled, throwing his arms up. "That aside, I agree with Aki. Who the hell are you and are you actually Kyoya's fiancé?"

The girl grinned, nodding gently as she sipped a cup of tea. Haruhi had prepared it for her despite the confusion, bless her soul, and now we were all seated on the couches facing the new girl. "Yes, my name is Renge Hoshajuki, and I'm transferring into the first years' Class A as of tomorrow. I just wanted to come here early and observe how business is going," she said, and I couldn't deny that she had a pretty smile, but fuck if that pretty smile didn’t strike terror into my heart, now, after what had just happened with Tamaki.

Speaking of Tamaki. . .

Hikaru threw a glance over the back of the couch, towards the corner where Tamaki was sat rocking back and forth, pouting. "Why is he sulking?"

Kaoru snickered. "Because Mommy was keeping a secret from Daddy," he giggled, giving Kyoya a teasing smirk, which Kyoya only rolled his eyes at.

"Whatever," Kyoya grumbled, pushing up his glasses in exasperation. "Why does everyone insist on referring to us like we're husband and wife?"

I chuckled and raised an eyebrow at him. "Why, indeed, my King?" I whispered, leaning forwards and smiling gently, and his eyes blew wide in shock. Ah, how cute he looks when he's vulnerable.

"Anyway!" I declared, turning around and turning to Renge. She snarled at me in turn, but I ploughed on. There wasn't any news of an engagement between the Ootori and Hoshakuji families, but there was word that the patriarchs of both families had met in the past week for something or other. The possibility of an engagement was. . . More likely than I would've wanted to admit. "Hoshakuji-kun, what do you love about our dear Dark Lord? How did you two fall in love?"

She squealed and swooned, blushing and pressing a hand to her cheek and apparently for the moment forgetting how much she hated me. "Oh, it was a story of love at first sight! I absolutely couldn't resist the way you were admiring the flowers by the roadside when you thought no one was watching! And the way you secretly helped out that poor abandoned, injured kitten! And of course all those times you've left presents for others who were down without even leaving your name! Ah, how it makes me want to scream!"

Haruhi gave her a confused look, her head pingponging from Kyoya, to Renge, and back. "Are you sure you have the right person?" she muttered, probably mostly because of the whole scene with Kyoya ever so kindly reminding her of her debt. Asshole.

But even so. . . there wasn't any guarantee she wasn't lying. Kyoya, as an artist, would definitely take notice of beauty in hidden places, even if he did it in secret, and well, I didn’t know anyone who'd leave a starving kitten on its own. She was making Kyoya out to be a kind and secretly loving man, which was the exact same impression _I_ got from him; and if she knew this, if she knew of the side Kyoya never let anyone even in the host club see, either she was incredibly perceptive, or. . .

. . . Or she was telling the truth. They were engaged. Maybe not in love, on account of Kyoya being gay, but engaged — well, advantageous marriages happened all the time. It wasn't too far off.

"No way!" Renge shrieked at Haruhi, and we all quickly flinched away. _Good_ God she had a voice higher than Kaoru. "I would recognise my love anywhere! He's a kind hearted gentleman who helps others without ever expecting anything in return! He likes solitude but sometimes he gets lonely, and he's much more romantic and artistic than he has ever admitted!"

Kaoru burst into laughter, followed swiftly by Hikaru and Haruhi, their collective giggling cutting off Renge's tirade. "She's definitely got the wrong guy," Haruhi sighed, not loud enough for Renge to hear, but loud enough for me.

I frowned and shook my head. "No, that doesn't prove anything," I said, holding my finger to my chin in thought.

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking disbelieving. "Would you really believe that the heartless tax collector would ever act the way she did?"

I cackled. "Heartless tax collector?"

She just shrugged, giving me a conspiratorial grin, and I chuckled.

"Still," I mumbled, watching Kyoya out of the corner of my eye. He didn't at all look fazed by the declaration of the girl, or the laughter it was still drawing out of the twins. "It's not impossible. The Ootori and the Hoshakuji families work closely together, being that the Hoshakuji family runs an insurance company and the Ootori group is a chain of hospitals and medical facilities, and recently they were sighted being in some kind of business deal. One which could very well be an engagement, regardless of how the fiancées actually feel, and besides."

"None of the stuff she said is even remotely out of character for him."

Kaoru, who had apparently taken to eavesdropping, popped in between us with an inquisitive look. "Not out of character?" he said, his tone indignant. "You really believe that Kyoya-senpai would do any that? _Flowers_?"

"He's been painting all day," I pointed out, and pulled out a sheet I'd taken from his calligraphy pad. It was a loose sketch of a bunch of crimson anemones painted in loose, diluted ink. "And he seems to prefer painting flowers. It'd make sense for him to be looking for, and then admiring, the subjects he likes to paint. As for the kitten, fucking hell, I'm a heartless fuck and even I wouldn't leave an injured kitten by the roadside. And the gifts, if he never credits himself and considering that he has the stealth and resources to do it. . . We can't prove it's never been done."

Kyoya had apparently heard us by then, and he turned to me with an amused gleam in his eyes. "My, my, _A-kun_ , you do watch me very closely, don't you?" he asked, cocking his head towards me, and I snorted.

"Bitch, I don’t have to. You're way less subtle about your emotions than you think. Certainly not subtle enough to earn your reputation as an aloof, distant dickhead," I remarked, leaning back and knocking back my tea like it was a shot of alcohol, which I regretted, because of course I'd accidentally grabbed Kyoya's cup and it was fucking _scalding_.

Kyoya gave me a fond glare, rolling his eyes. "Dumbass," he muttered, and I cackled. I leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder.

"A dumbass you adore," I corrected him, and he snorted, making no move to shake me off. He leaned on me, too, his hand landing on my thigh.

"Sure," he chuckled.

Renge, now that the twins had finished laughing and now that I'd shut up, seemed ever more annoyed with me, probably because I'd interrupted her and was now reclining on her fiancé. "As I was saying! He is a beautiful soul that must hide it from the cruelty of the world! He never shows any weakness but he's beautifully vulnerable and open with the person he loves!"

The twins gave me an expectant look, and I rolled my eyes. "Still not at _all_ impossible—"

"He looks just like the main star of the dating sim Uki-Doki Memorial! You're my real life Ichijo Miyabi!"

Everyone froze. The twins stared, with Hikaru in particular looking shocked, and Haruhi and Honey both looked confused. Tamaki had perked up, though mostly because he was probably sick of being left out.

. . . "Well _fuck_ ," I and Hikaru groaned in unison, and we whipped around to stare at each other. It would seem that we both knew just what the hell she was going on about.

" _Well_ ," Hikaru sighed, running his hand down his face. "I'm gonna say she's not wrong about _that_ , either."

I let out a long groan. " _Ootori_ ," I sighed, done with the world in general, "where the fuck have you put my phone?"

He smirked at me. "My pockets, _Manaka_ ," he answered, his smirk deep and sharp, as he took his hand off my thigh and put it around my waist instead. "If you want it, take it."

"Gladly," I muttered in a flat tone, reaching into his left pocket and retrieving my phone, though I let my hand lay on his thigh for far longer than necessary. "Thanks! Though, of course, my dear, if you wanted me to touch you, you could have just asked~!"

He chuckled, turning his attention back to Renge. "I'll be sure to ask next time, thank you," he whispered, before looking up at the girl, who was still blushing and swooning. I, on my part, pulled up a picture of the character on my phone, and then tossed my phone to Hikaru.

"Right?" I asked, and again with a low, embarrassed groan, he nodded and threw it back. Kyoya raised an eyebrow at us. "Who might that be?"

"Precisely who you think," I sighed, handing him the phone. He gave it a good look, probably just a _little_ unnerved by the resemblance, which frankly brings up the question of how the fuck I and Hikaru had never had never noticed before. "He's basically you, really, but with his whole silent, brooding thing toned down and his secret, romantic side more emphasised."

Kyoya gave me a look, as if wondering how I knew or what that meant for my opinion of him, but ultimately, he turned to Renge and nodded, his hand on his chin as if thinking. "I get it. You're in love with that character. You're projecting that love onto me, and you've somehow managed to convince yourself that we're engaged."

Tamaki, still pretty dejected but finally aware enough of his surroundings to walk, came up to the couch we were all seated at. "So. . . She made it all up? You're not really engaged?"

"Well, no, I don't remember ever asking for her hand in marriage. Besides," he crossed his arms and glanced at Renge, who was still running around shrieking, "this is the first time I've ever met the woman."

I groaned, running my hands over my face. "So what you're saying, you _fucking dick. . ._ " I hissed, glaring at him and his stupidly smug face and his stupid fucking _smile_ , "is that you _knew_ you weren't engaged, and let us fuck around with the idea instead of just saying so?"

"Well, it was a worthwhile time," he shrugged, grinning and leaning back. He laid one of his hands on mine, probably the closest he's gotten so far to actually holding my hand instead of just grabbing my arm or my clothes. "Really, I didn’t know you thought so highly of me," he said with a smirk, and then, with dark pupils and narrowed eyes, he added, "or that you would care so much if ever I was engaged or unavailable."

"Please, we both know you like attention just as much as I and the twins do," I snarled back, matching his smirk with my own. Distantly, I could hear the twins shrieking, panicking about there now being two demons in the Host Club, like _they_ weren't the devils in the host club, but I didn’t take my eyes off of him. "She's right, you know. You pretend to like solitude, but face it. You, even with all your high and mighty, genius _bullshit_. . ." I put a hand on his chest, my other hand tracing over his face and making him look up at me, relishing in the gorgeous blush on his face, ". . .you fucking _adore_ it when I dote on you. You love it when I smile at you. You always want me to be looking at you. You love _nothing_ more than when I _touch_ you."

"You aren't wrong. However." He smirked, grabbing my wrist and tugging me into his space, as well as holding me by my waist so I couldn't escape. "Is there a point to this discussion, Manaka-kun?" he asked, grinning, and I chuckled.

"Only that you're projecting, too, _Kyoya-kun_ ," I answered. "Whether or not I really care about your engagement, it's what you're going to think, isn't it? It's what you want to think. And whether or not I feel anything for you, you _want_ me too. And why, I wonder? For the rush? The attention? The thrill of being admired?"

I chuckled. "Who knows, really?"

Then, quickly, I leapt out of his hold, leaving a quick kiss on his cheek before sauntering out the door. "And now, goodbye, motherfuckers, I've got a shift. I'll be in tomorrow!"

And I cackled, leaving Kyoya staring at me, while I wanted nothing more than to turn and stare back.




**Kyoya**

I watched him leave the clubroom perhaps far more intensely than I have ever watched anything. He'd since changed out of his kimono for the civilian clothes he often wore to work, which should have been my initial hint that he wasn't going to stay very long, no matter what happened, and frankly, watching him strut down the halls with all the confidence in the world and a smile that the sun would be envious of, I can't decide which outfit I like him better in.

I chuckled. Manaka Aki. . . I'd been surprised when he'd joined the club. No, he hadn't been forced to join the same way Haruhi was, and had in fact first joined a mere two weeks after the first semester started. He'd been clear about his standing as a commoner and an honour student who lived alone while working in a library, as well as being incredibly blatant about his sexuality, but none of that had ever been a hindrance to him. No, they'd been a source of his confidence, things he proudly emblazoned as symbols of power.

Everything he put proudly on display and challenged the world to say something about were things I'd be afraid to admit to myself. But for Manaka. . . No, for _A-kun_ , as his admirers all called him, they were all nothing compared to that bright smile on his face.

_A-kun. . ._ his clients all called him that, despite his name not even being that long. And he was so authentic with his clients, truly flirty whether or not he was being paid for it and truly friendly with any type you could put in front of him, that I had no issues conflating his host self and his _real_ self.

Simply. . . he was just Manaka Aki. Unbelievably cool, confident, always true to himself, acting half on impulse and half on and utterly impossible to shake. There was nothing about him that didn't intrigue me.

Then, I sighed, and stared flatly at the twins who'd surprisingly said nothing about mine and Aki's little display. They _were_ staring, though. "What?" I asked flatly, and Hikaru flinched, hiding behind his brother. "Nothing to say?"

Kaoru made a face and quickly shook his head. "Yeah, no, sorry, Senpai," he stammered. "But when you're not around Aki, you're kind of a terror. . ."

"Please, there's no way I'm all that different around him," I scoffed as I sat back down and crossed my legs, but Honey-senpai giggling as he sat next to me made me look up again.

"Not true, Kyo-chan," he said, swinging his legs along with his speech. "You smile so much more around Ak-chan! You hug him a lot, too, and he always makes you laugh. I think he's convinced that you aren't subtle just because around him, it's true! You don’t hide from Ak-chan the same way you hide from all of us."

I stared at Honey-senpai for a good while, even as he bounded off to make some milk for himself and Renge, fighting the smile on my face.

Gods, Manaka Aki. . .

. . . Just what do you think you do to me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOC? Probably.
> 
> Was it fun to write? Hell yeah.
> 
> Is it fun to read? I sure as fuck hope so!


	3. Episode 4, Part 2!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the host club makes a movie, Aki can't decide whether Renge is really smart or really annoying, and also Aki is weak for evil Demon Kings.

**Aki**

Apparently, no one thought to tell me that we had a new manager, which meant that walking into the hosts discussing why Haruhi needed a female friend was slightly fucking confusing.

"Isn't it obvious? Renge just transferred into the same class as Haruhi! And having a dear female friend around could bring out the girl within her! It is a rare chance to get Haruhi in touch with her feminine side once again!" Tamaki exclaimed, making me freeze by the door. Admittedly, I was late, because when Honey-senpai called to tell me that we were having some kind of meeting, I was halfway across school in the physics library.

Haruhi groaned, rolling her eyes. "Oh, good _grief_ ," she grumbled, in a tone that made it obvious how much she wanted to use much stronger language.

Tamaki, of course, acted like he didn't hear. "Right now, she doesn't have any friends in class except the shady twins and the Shadow Prince, none of whom have any sense of subtlety or care to them!! It's no good for a young maiden like her! She needs to have friends who will bring out the beauty and delicacy within her!"

"Oh, ex-fucking-cuse you!" I shouted as I entered, and I could see both Kyoya and Honey-senpai hiding giggles from Tamaki. "Like you've got room to talk about being shady!"

Kyoya chuckled as I sat down next to him. He was scribbling in his little binder again, though he very quickly snapped it shut the second I tried to peek over and catch a glimpse of whatever the fuck he did in there. "Well, he's not wrong," he said, setting down the pencil that he only ever seemed to use that binder. "You can't deny that you haven't the slightest bit of empathy to your name."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you really believe that?"

"Who knows," he said, shutting his eyes and giving me his hosting smile, and I rolled my eyes, elbowing him in the chest. He shook his head at that, and we settled comfortably into one another before long, his hand on my thigh and my head leaned against his shoulder. I got the distinct feeling that neither of us were really paying attention to the hosts' bickering, by then.

And of course, as is the world's way of ruining the best moments, Renge burst in. "Good afternoon, everyone! You'll be happy to know that your new manager Renge has baked all of you some cookies!"

I threw my arms up, reclining against the couch and crossing my legs. "Nope. No one's getting me to approach her," I declared, and Kyoya chuckled, though predictably he hid it behind his little notebook. I elbowed him in the stomach, making him laugh harder, but I didn't say anything more.

Tamaki sprang up, apparently having none of my reservations, and he leapt over the back of the couch and skidded to a stop by the door. Striking some of his poses, which were either hot or ridiculous, depending on one's type, he declared, "Oh, isn't she ladylike! How moving is your generosity, my fair maiden—"

"I didn't bake these for you, you phony Prince," Renge interrupted, her expression flat and careless, and Tamaki just about crumpled to the floor like a stack of bricks, and took the sulking again in the corner before long. Well, evidently he hadn’t learned from yesterday.

However, I had very much learned, so when the rest of the hosts stood up to go and try her cookies, I hung back. Well, I was also just lazy, and happened to notice that Kyoya had dropped his binder. . . So forgive me for being just the slightest bit opportunistic. Besides, it was unlikely to be anything classified or scandalous, given how much he carried it with him and how much he left it lying around, and also with how much he changed the pages out, it couldn't be anything incredibly vital.

It was, then, very likely personal.

To the absolutely _tranquil_ sounds of Honey and Mori getting chased by Renge for daring to suggest that her cookies were subpar, and also Tamaki freaking out for whatever reason, I opened the book.

I'll admit, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. It would've been easy to expect that they were notes, possibly blackmail material on the people he so intently watched every day, or calculations for the host club's profits, or perhaps notes for school. But Kyoya. . . he was complex. Sure, he was an open book with his emotions, but there was so much to him that it was difficult to predict whatever he might be thinking or doing at any given point. Of course, it only served to make him more interesting, but still . . .

And I'll admit, I gasped when I saw what was written down.

Well, what was _drawn_. Because he'd filled the pages with pencil sketches, all in deep green pencil, most looking like they took no longer than a few minutes but a few looking more finished, more polished. And I could tell that they'd been drawn over the course of weeks, maybe months, because. . .

. . . because they were sketches of me. Not just me, of course, but most of it. . . Most of it was me. Not even just forward facing poses, either, but at varied angles, at different heights and with different emotions. Not just portraits, either. There were many sketches of me in my uniform, either sitting in class or at the host club, some sporadic sketches of me in civilian wear, and quite a few of me in the various cosplay wear at the host club. There were even a few of me without my top, probably done during the physical exams.

I must've looked like a perplexed tomato. I knew this wasn't the only thing that he wrote in his book, but to see how much time everything must've taken. . .

And that was saying nothing of his skill! The sketches were no doubt done quickly, but they were easily recognizable as _me_ , and even when he'd drawn the other hosts, _they_ were easily recognisable, too. Emotions were easily distinguished, and his strokes were quick, decisive, _sure_.

"You're amazing," I blurted out when I heard someone approach me. Distantly, I realised it might not even be Kyoya — it was most likely to be the twins, actually, asking just what I was doing with Kyoya's book — but thankfully, the chuckle he let out was indication enough that I had the right guy.

"What, because they're mostly portraits of you?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. In his hands, he held one of the cookies Renge had baked. "You really are vain, Manaka-kun~"

I cackled, shutting his book and handing it back to him. He gratefully took it, holding out the cookie he had in return. "I thought we'd already established that, Ootori-kun?" I put my arms around his neck, then, and he chuckled as I pressed myself against him again.

  
"I believe that all we established was how egotistical I was for wanting you."

"True, though of course, you full-well know that I'm equally as egotistical," I purred, as always deliberately throwing far too much flirtation into my tone. What can I say? It's fun to flirt, especially when they flirt back.

The second clause of my statement, "you know I want you, too," remained unsaid.

"The proper term, I think, would be careless, but alright," he said, and I chuckled, biting into the cookie. Even then, I didn't let go of him.

I _did_ let go of him, though, when Renge suddenly popped up besides us and screamed, "THAT'S IT!"

I and Kyoya leapt apart, and I stumbled back onto the seat in my hurry. "What the fuck's it?" I asked, because goddamn, I did not like the gleam in her eyes. She ignored my question, of course, and immediately whirled around to face the hosts, her eyes frankly fucking _terrifying_.

"All of you! None of you are good enough to be in this club!" she shrieked, and the twins and Tamaki _froze_ in the midst of whatever argument they were having this time.

"Excuse you?!" I demanded, and she turned on me, too.

"You too, you heartless bastard!" She marched towards me, grabbing me by my arm and damn near _throwing_ me at the other hosts. Mori-senpai caught me, thankfully, but that did not save me from her anger. "None of your characters are good enough! You're all flat, cheap, and completely _boring!_ "

"You're all so predictable! All of you lack a dark side, you hear me?! Girls are suckers for handsome men with something to hide! Something deeper to them! Something _more_ than your fake, flat characters! If that's all you have, then everyone who comes to this pathetic club are going to get _bored_! Are you _trying_ to ruin my precious Kyoya's business?! As your manager, I say that this cannot stand! I am going to change all your personalities!"

I snorted. "Like fuck that's gonna work—"

"I'm starting with you!" Yeap, evidently I was being ignored. Really, I didn't know what I expected. She was pointing at Honey-senpai, for the moment, and Honey, who was on Mori's arm, flinched. "If you're as cute on the outside and the inside, then you're nothing but a baby! From now on, you are the baby-faced thug!"

She continued from there, listing new characters for the hosts. Mori-senpai being a flunkie who was always being bossed around by Honey-senpai, the twins being basketball players — which seemed unnecessary, but alright — who were trapped in their own world, Haruhi being an honour student who smiles through being bullied, and Tamaki being a popular guy who secretly had some inferiority complex. Honestly, none of her shit seemed all that inventive, but since she was coming up with everything on the fly, I didn't give too much of a damn.

Well, I never give a damn about anything anyway, so really that wasn't much of a shock.

I only perked up when she finally grabbed my sleeve, probably to pluck me out of my daydreaming, and screamed in my face. "And you! You're going to be a closeted guy who wants to act on his desires but never has the chance!"

Surprisingly, it wasn't me who laughed at that, it was the twins. And Mori-senpai, who let out a startled laugh before he was back to his usual, stoic face. "Aki?! Closeted?!" "Now _that's_ straight up wrong!" the twins declared, cackling wildly, and I rolled my eyes. Still, I couldn't argue.

"Yeah, they're right. No one is gonna buy me being closeted," I told Renge, and though she snarled at first, she finally simmered down and remade her decision.

"Fine. You can have some of your old character. You're going to be a confident, happy-go-lucky flirt who pines for someone who he can't ever have!" she announced, and while the twins froze, I snorted.

"Wow, either far too fucking ridiculous and far too on the nose! You sure you don't have a median, there, Hoshakuji-san?" I asked, cackling as I stuffed my hands in my pockets. I was, tragically, wearing the school uniform, though I was wearing my blazer unbuttoned and my tie was hanging limply around my neck, because thankfully, honour students didn't have to stick to the school dress code.

She looked shocked, for a moment, probably not entirely aware of her own accidental accuracy, but eventually, she huffed, turning her attention to Tamaki.

The dramatic fool, predictably, had lapsed into his character already, seemingly sparkling as he monologued about the life of a lonely prince. I, again, rolled my eyes.

She went to Kyoya, for the shortest while, telling him to stay as cool and affectionate as ever, and I walked up to him when she left. Mainly because I didn't want my head bitten off.

"Not gonna do anything, hmm," I said, giving him a short glance, mostly because I was watching Honey-senpai try not to burst into tears at the idea of being a bully despite kinda doing a good job at it. He was shaking his fists, his bunny abandoned on the floor, and he was glaring at the ground in a way that somewhat resembled Kyoya's animosity for the world of the living.

He grinned, putting his hand to his chin and watching Tamaki and Renge practise their poses together. "Come, now, Aki-kun. I think this will result in a very interesting turn of events, don't you?" he asked. "Besides, it seems she's proving to be very perceptive, isn't she? She's correctly guessed things about both of us that we would both rather keep very secret."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Guessing proves absolutely nothing, Kyoya, you know that." Then, when I noticed that he was scribbling in his notebook again, I whirled around to look at what he was sketching over his shoulder. He was shading a sketch he'd just completed, evidently of Tamaki and the face he'd made when Renge suggested the idea of the Lonely Prince to him.

"Even so," he said, as he shut the book again. "This promises to be quite an interesting day."




"It might be better for me to be alone. . ."

Fists shaking, I ran up to Tamaki and grabbed him by the collar. "Shut the fuck up!" I screamed, and his eyes blew wide in shock. "You have the eyes of the entire school on you! You could have everyone you ever wanted if you just _tried_! You — you — you—!"

I turned away, on the verge of tears, and my voice was raw when I spoke again. "You — you don't have to be powerless. You never have to watch the people you want, the people you _love_ slip away.There's nothing you can't have. There's — there's no one you can't have. You never have to be stuck watching from the shadows! You can always do more! You can always be more! I — I—"

"I can't ever be _more_."

Eyes still wide, he stared at me, and so very gently, he laid a hand on my shoulder. "But — but you've never cared, Aki. You're free, free from the constraints of emotion and opinion. . . I've always envied you for it."

I barked out a sad, sarcastic laugh. "Free? Me? You really believe that?" Another laugh, sick and low, and Tamaki shuddered as he looked at me. "I wish I was. I wish I didn't care what anyone thought of me, I — I — I wish I didn't care what _he_ thought of me."

"You're — you're in love?" he asked, sounding like he didn't believe me at all. No, no, sounding like he was _afraid_ to believe me.

"I wish I wasn't," I cried, falling to my knees. "I _really_ , really wish I wasn't."




Well, I got _drenched_. How the fuck did she manage to get fake rain into the school? Especially because we were in the front courtyard?

"Jesus _fuck_ , how did we end up shooting a movie?" I grumbled as I walked up to the twins, who, just like me, looked slightly like drowned rats, despite all of us having changed into dry uniforms. I had a feeling that their condition was due more to them trying to ruin each other's hair just a few minutes earlier, but well, fuck me for trying to find ways to justify the fact that my hair just refused to behave. Not all of us were supermodel-level gorgeous. "And where the fuck did all these people come from?"

Kyoya chuckled, stood to the side and free from the bullshit because the world was utterly unfair. He was scribbling of course, possibly sketching based on how his strokes were quick and sure, instead of the tiny motions of his handwriting, though he shut the book before I could go over and check. "Evidently, she flew them in from Hollywood. Don't you recognise that director?"

"Nope."

He rolled his eyes, tapping gently on my forehead with his pencil. "He directed the movie Millennium Snow, the highest grossing movie in theatres that year. Quite impressive on her end."

I then rolled _my_ eyes at him and crossed my arms. "You rich assholes are absolutely fucking unbelievable. First still looking utterly radiant after being soaked, and then now this shit."

Unfortunately, the fucker didn't even seem phased, and the twins found their tongues quicker than he did. "Aww, Manaka-kun~" "You think we look radiant?"

I gave them a flat look, one eyebrow raised and arms crossed. "With all that hair gel? Yeah."

They both gasped, simultaneously raising their hands to their chests in the shock and the panic. I ignored them, because blessedly, in my months at the club, I was getting much better at that. It was unfortunately necessary if one wanted to stay sane while in the host club.

They eventually simmered down, going to gossip amongst themselves about why Kaoru topped in their scene in the movie. In my opinion, it wasn't necessarily wrong, given how much more calm and confident in his identity Kaoru was, especially compared to Hikaru. On my part, I just sighed and ran a comb through my hair, trying to make myself look less like I'd bathed in a swamp.

"You know, it's not fucking fair that you get out of all of this shit," I grumbled to Kyoya, who was back to scribbling.

He gave me a deceptively sweet smirk, though glancing at him, I knew that not all of that sweetness was faked. "I'm so sorry, Manaka-kun, but my cool and affectionate nature can't be helped," he purred, his eyes burning both with fondness and mockery, his glasses barely a barrier to his truth.

I rolled my eyes, though as I set down the comb and approached him, I matched his smirk with one of my own. "No, I suppose it can't," I drawled, gently pulling his book out of his hands and setting it down on the chairs next to us. With his hands now freed, he ran them down my face and cupped my chin, and in turn, I ran my hands through the coarse hair at the back of his head. "And truly, it's a breathtaking thing."

He chuckled, breaking character to drop his head into my shoulder. My hair was still damp, but he didn't seem to mind. "You can't truly think that I'm affectionate. I've given you no evidence for that at all."

"Really?" I asked, and he met my eyes to raise an eyebrow. "Caring or warm, I can admit, I haven't seen true evidence of that. But there is something more there, behind your eyes, behind all that frankly terrible pretense you put up of being detached and apathetic. . . there's something else. Something vulnerable, something _fond_ , something sweet, and perhaps. . . perhaps something loving and affectionate, indeed."

"And really, I can't wait to be the one to find it all."

"You're so sure there's something there to find?" he whispered, sounding far more raw and vulnerable than he would probably have liked, and I smiled. Truly smiled, this one time, no hint of mockery or teasing or flirtation.

I shook my head. "No, I'm not. But that's what makes it exciting, don't you think? I could look forever and find absolutely nothing, or. . . or I could find something wonderful. It's a gamble, and," I smirked at him, leaning close enough that I could feel his heartbeat against mine, "what's life without a little risk?"

He never got the chance to answer, because then, Renge called on me for my scene — now that Honey-senpai had finally got through his scene of threatening to beat up Haruhi and Mori-senpai without bursting into tears — and I skipped off, flashing a bright grin at Kyoya.

For a while, he just stared at me. Surely he was no stranger to a little risk — he was a businessman, at the end of the day — but of course, in his friendships, he'd probably always played it safe. Tragically, that just wasn't my thing.

"Over here!" she called, waving as she stood next to some of the students from class 2-D. I didn't recognise them at all, since they were neither my classmates or customers at the host club, but they looked nice enough. Well, nice as in they looked like they couldn't be bothered to stir up trouble, despite their rough appearance. "These two gentlemen have just agreed to make an appearance in our film!"

The guys didn't look like they agreed to anything. "The hell are you talking about?" they demanded, but as was her whole _thing_ , Renge ignored them.

"After all, we need villains for the big climax! A scene where the once disunited Host Club will become one to fight a common enemy! The sons of a powerful Japanese mafia group — isn't it just a brilliant casting choice!" she exclaimed, stars in her eyes, and I snorted.

"One," I said, rolling my eyes, "did these two actually agree to anything?"

"Of course!" she chirped. "And why wouldn't they agree; I'm only asking them to play their own characters! Just like you!"

"No!" one of the guys yelled, fists shaking. "What is wrong with you, woman!"

"What our parents do has nothing to do with us!"

"Renge, you can't possibly—"

And as expected, she ignored me _and_ them, and instead opted to grab one of them by the arms and dragged them to wherever she wanted them. I tried to grab _her_ and put an end to the bullshit, but the fucker was surprisingly quick on her feet for someone who was wearing a skirt that puffed up. "Now, now, just stand over here and wait for your cue—"

"Hey, who do you think you are! You can't just push me around! You don't know _anything_ about me!" the guy shouted, wrenching his arm free from her grip and making to deck her, and _fuck._ He wasn't gonna be gentle about it, not as wound up as he was, and with Renge unprepared and facing the back wall where a shit ton of ladders, lights, and microphones had been set up — if he hit her, it wasn’t gonna be pretty.

Ah, shit.

Without thinking, as was the norm for me, I jumped between them and took the punch to my jaw in mid-air. And fuck, it hurt like a bloody _bitch_ , and yeah, I wound up flying back a good amount, but thanks to being prepared to take the hit _and_ being taller than Renge, I didn't hit the back wall, skidding to a stop just before. And also, well, Renge herself didn't get hit, which was probably good.

Probably.

The guy staggered back, with his friend — brother? Boyfriend? Cousin? Who knew? — hanging behind him. "Oh my Gods, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit that hard—"

I chuckled, wiping my jaw, which thankfully wasn't bleeding. Much. "It's fine, it's fine. Well, maybe not fine, but it's alright, I understand. I imagine it's not fun being seen as someone you're not, huh? Not fun being judged before people really get to know you."

He and his friend both nodded, and the guy who hit me held out a hand to help me up. "Yeah, it's really not, but honestly, I should be used to it. And still, I'm sorry." Then, upon getting a better look at me, he asked, "Hey, aren't you with the host club?"

"Yeah, I am," I answered and stood. And if I turned up the charm just a little, dropping my voice's volume and pitch and running my hands through my hair and giving them my patented grin, well, no harm done there, right? "I've never seen you guys there before, though. You should drop by sometime, we can get to know each other there."

They both looked slightly uneasy at the suggestion, so, pretty much the same as every guy when first invited to the host club. I just chuckled, shrugging. "You don't have to, I won't force you. But," I lifted his hand to my lips, gently kissing it and giving them a conspiratorial smirk, seeing as they seemed like the type to enjoy tenderness, "if you ever want someone to listen, or someone to open up to, or even just someone who'll look beyond your looks or your parents. . . I'm there."

Both of them blushed deeply, and I didn't bother hiding my smirk. "S-sure!" the guy who hadn't hit me said, trembling and looking the slightest bit jealous. "We'll see you soon!"

Then they booked it, probably, just the slightest bit embarrassed, and I cackled as I turned back to Renge. She was staring at me, looking shocked and panicked, and thankfully, she at least looked a little guilty. "What — what did you mean? They _were_ children of mafia, and they _are_ delinquents. . ."

"Yeah, but that's not all they are. Besides, they look way too relaxed to be delinquents." I chuckled, wiping my jaw again. Yeah, alright, _now_ I'm worried. My jaw was still bleeding. "You're stereotyping them, _and_ all of us. Don't you see? Your characters are caricatures of us, and it's frankly fucking ridiculous. You don't know any of us. You never took the time to get to know any of us."

I patted her on the shoulder and tried to give her a reassuring smile. "You're a smart girl, Hoshakuji-kun. You're surprisingly perceptive and quick on your toes. But you need to slow down, sometimes, because you're missing the people right in front of you. You gotta get to know people, you know? Slowly develop a bond with them, let them be themselves, and then learn to love the people they really are. Takes out all the guesswork, and, well, it's a hell of a lot more fun that way."

She looked confused, then. "What — what do you mean?"

I never got to answer, though, because the hosts came rushing up to us. "Ak-chan!" Honey-senpai shouted, Mori-senpai close by, both of them soaked. Haruhi came not too far off, and she gasped when she saw the blood.

"Aki!" she shouted, running up to me. "What did you get yourself into now! Who did you fight!"

"Hey, I didn't fight anyone!" I threw my hands up, showing her that my knuckles were bare and untouched. "There was just — an incident. I'm fine, I promise."

"You are not fine!"

That. . . that was not Haruhi. Or Renge. Nor was the sudden smashing of glass that we heard. We both turned, and I gasped when I met Kyoya's eyes, fuming and _furious_ , a fury evidently demonstrated in the way he smashed the cameraman's lens with a stone.

"Renge," he growled, evidently channeling the Demon King he was said to be, and _God,_ I could've swooned, "that's enough of your nonsense. You're incredibly lucky that no harm was really meant, but regardless, you've hurt one of our hosts enough to make him bleed. Adding to that how you've disrupted club activities and classes, and I'd say you've caused enough trouble, wouldn't you?"

He leveled her with his patented glare, and she froze on the spot, looking close to tears. "If you know what's good for you, _Hoshakuji-san_ , you'd stop being such a _bitch_."

I cackled, shaking my head fondly and shoving my hands in my pockets. "That's my King," I sighed, undoubtedly dreamily. "Scalding hot and unbelievably cool even when angry."

Renge, unfortunately, didn't seem to share my glee. Her eyes were with confusion and pain, probably from the admittedly brutal rejection, and her shoulders were shaking as tears slipped down her cheeks. "B- but Kyoya! Why are you being so mean! You're supposed to tell me that it's alright and that I don't have to worry while gently holding me! You're supposed to be kind and affectionate!"

She trembled, supporting herself on her knees, and then she shouted, "Why are you so cruel!"

Now that — that made me laugh. "Well, because that's just not who Kyo-chan is," Honey-senpai said, while I was too busy laughing and also trying not to choke on blood.

"W- what?" she asked, turning to us, and then, specifically to me. "Don't you — don't you agree with me? You said that Kyoya was sweet and affectionate and artistic! How can you be okay with this! How can you — how can—"

She paused, then, looking like she'd realised something, and I smirked. "Well, one, I'm not wrong, he's hot when he's acting all dangerous. And two, Kyoya's complex, Renge; we all are. He's capable of being sweet and creative, yes, but he's also cunning, scheming, and brutal when he wants to be. He can be kind, but he knows when cruelty is necessary. And well . . ."

I gave her a sideways glance, and she gasped. "A character who's complicated, with sides that are secret and sides that conflict. . . isn't that the kind of character you say girls like?"

Then, at a whisper, so Kyoya wouldn't hear, "Wonderfully, it's the kind of character I like, too."

Recognition came to her eyes and her expression, and I left her with a final smile.

"Hey," I said as Kyoya came up to us, not looking any less furious. Renge, to her credit, showed some self-preservation and booked it, though she watched from a distance. "You alright?"

He sighed, and he took a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped down my lips and my jaw. And if I noticed the way his hands trembled and his eyes narrowed when he got to me lips, well, I didn't bother letting him know. "I should be asking you that, you reckless moron. You're bleeding; how is that not cause for concern?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Really, Kyoya." I gave him my best smile, and chuckled when he sighed in relief instead of exasperation, as he frequently did when confronted with my bullshit. "Nothing to worry about, I promise. A little pain, of course, but I can handle it."

For a while, he was silent, before sighing again and pressing his forehead against mine. "I know," he whispered. "I know you can. I know you feel like no one cares about you, or that no one _should_ care about you. And I know you wish you didn’t care, but. . . I do care about you."

I froze, for a second, before finding my tongue. I was probably blushing, too. "You — you do?"

"Of course. You make it very hard to not notice you; and even harder to not get drawn to you." With that, he gave me his beautiful smile, and very casually walked away. I must've stared after him for a good few minutes, a gentle smile playing on my face, the blush still not leaving me entirely.

God, my heart was _pounding_. For a second, I wondered if it was something for the film, but he'd broken the camera, so. . . did he mean it? Did he — did he care?

Still blushing, I looked down and walked away, too. Perhaps I'd found his sweet and affectionate side far sooner than I ever thought I would. . .




**Renge**

I stared at Kyoya-sama and Manaka-san as they both walked away. I don't think they realised it, but they had identical expressions as they did — expressions of admiration, of fondness, and of a sweetness that they only seemed to have for each other, and no one else.

Manaka-san. . . I watched as he caught up with the twins, throwing his arms around their shoulders and laughing with them. The bleeding had stopped, or at least slowed, but he never even paused to consider that he'd gotten hurt.

That he'd gotten hurt defending _me._ Me, when all I'd done was be rude to him. When all I'd done was accuse him of being heartless and careless, only to be proven wrong when he took a punch to the jaw for someone who he shouldn't even like. And the way he talked about Kyoya-sama, the way he looked at him and the way they interacted. . .

He wasn't acting. He really did like Kyoya-sama, but he seemed to like him for different reasons. He liked Kyoya-sama because he was kind and affectionate, but also brutal and dangerous, and also artistic and creative, and — and—

_There._

That's what he means. He likes Kyoya-sama not for just one thing, but for everything he is, everything he was, and everything he still can be. He — he likes Kyoya-sama. He _truly_ does.




**Aki**

Blessedly, there was no sign of any more drama around the club after that particular day of filming. Renge still attended class, but she was more withdrawn that she'd been around the host club, and often she looked like she was thinking over something. I approached her a few times, and so did Haruhi, both of us asking what we could help with, but she only shook her head at us and said she had to figure something out for herself.

She didn't come to the host club often, either, mostly just observing, and as unnerving as that was, I was starting to get used to the club settling back into its usual routine.

We were all bunched together in the club, one particular day, waiting for our guests after we'd greeted them, only to be greeted ourselves by a torrent of cheers and screams.

"I bought the film you guys made!"

"So did I!" "I did too!"

All of us, probably simultaneously, blinked. "Film?" Haruhi asked, head tilted to the side. Her character had ended the film finally standing up to her aggressor and confronting him, turning him into an ally who could potentially be redeemed. Of course, we'd stopped filming before any actual redemption happened, so that was busted.

The guests, apparently not realising our confusion, all grouped together, gushing about the film to each other.

"That scene in the rain was utter perfection!"

"Oh, the Lonely Prince, I just want to take him into my arms and give him all my love!"

"Hikaru and Kaoru's relationship was just so amazing!"

"And Honey-senpai as a thug is just so terrifying!"

"Haruhi-kun's agonized look just broke my heart!"

Even my guests, already sat at the group of tables I usually hosted at, were gushing about it and about my character.

"I didn't know Manaka-kun was an actor; he did such a good job!"

"The way he protected that young girl was so brave!"

"Didn't even care that he was bleeding out!"

"Oh, and the ending! That lovestruck look on his face was just perfect!"

I bit down a groan, and for once, was more than happy to let Tamaki speak for me. "Kyoya," he called, sounding much more commanding than he usually did, and Kyoya, behind him, chuckled and closed his little book. He'd switched the pages out again, the fucker, and he'd been taking notes from his laptop all afternoon.

"I may have broken the lens, but the film was all still intact. Besides, I only broke that one camera; all the others were still filming everything that happened. Sales have been rather impressive for only a day of business." He pushed up his glasses with the hand holding his pen, smiling his stupid attractive smile and not at all bothering to hide the amusement in his expression. "That film crew did a rather fantastic job."

Hikaru and Kaoru, meeting each other's eyes on opposite sides of Tamaki, gave Kyoya a flat look. "Is this the interesting thing you were talking about?" they chorused, and Kyoya only shrugged, his smile never leaving his face.

"How the hell did you get any kind of coherent story from any of that?" I asked, only a little ticked off at the fact that I hadn't caught on to any of it. Of course the fucker wouldn't have wasted all that time and effort. Of course the fucker had taken into account what we had to lose and what we had to gain. Of course the fucker didn't mean it when he said he cared about me—

Okay, fine, I was more than a _little_ ticked off.

"Really, my Prince, I thought you would've expected this. And besides, it wasn't that hard, most of the film had already been shot." He shut his eyes and smiled at me. "Besides, your little display made for a perfect final scene."

"Don't you agree, Hoshakuji-san?"

We all whipped around again, turning to face Renge, who'd walked up to where we all sitting.

"Yes, I can hardly believe that I didn't notice it before," she said, her expression looking much more smoothed out and calm. She looked better like that, honestly, though when she looked straight at me, I was still tempted to run. "It was chivalrous of you to put yourself in harm's way to protect me, and I'm so very thankful for that. And when you lectured me for learning to love people for everything that they are. . . I could feel _your_ love through it. You love someone, don't you?"

I chuckled, ignoring the wide-eyed stares I suddenly got from the rest of the club. Except for Haruhi, because she probably suspected it from day one, and — and Honey-senpai? "Well, it's a bit too soon for love, but. . . yes. There is someone I want to know everything about. Someone who intrigues me. And someone I wouldn't have any trouble learning to love."

She gave me a gentle smile, looking much more sensible than she had before. "It must feel wonderful."

"It does," I said, and then I patted her on the shoulder. "I want you to find that same feeling, too. A genuine want to get to know someone better. Real emotions, real feelings, and maybe someday, real love. It feels amazing."

"I want it too," she said, eyes shining. "I want to try to find someone I can love. Someone I want to know. And — and I wish you luck. With your love. You're very lucky to have found him."

"Thanks."

With that, she walked away, seating herself at Tamaki's table, and I chuckled as I watched her. Most of the clients were still discussing the film, so for the moment, I stayed where I was, and Kyoya came up to me.

"Someone you would like to love, hmm?" he whispered, not looking at me, but even so, his hand landed on mine. "Do you think she knows who it is?"

"Yeah, I think she does," I said, and he gave me a curious glance. In response, I only winked, and he chuckled as he squeezed my hand. "No, I'm not telling you. I am interested in the film, though. Do you have a copy?"

"Of course." He turned fully to me, then, eyes boring deep into mine. His eyes were a touch lighter than mine, interestingly, with shades of brown and grey rather than pure black. "We should watch it together, sometime. Your final scene is frankly very interesting."

Then, giving me his utterly gorgeous smile, one filled with amusement and sweetness and something else, something I couldn't quite place, something utterly interesting and attractive.

"I'm the kind of character you like, hmm?" he whispered, and I froze. _Fuck_. He heard that?! Of course he did, there were cameras all over the place and there were microphones right next to me when I said it. _Fuck_.

Now, because I was a little bitch, I didn’t manage to say anything as I watched him walk away from me, that annoying, beautiful smile probably still on his face.


	4. Episode 5, Part 1! Stupid Fucking Twins!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aki plays a game with his guests! that's pretty much it.

"Hey, Manaka-kun~!"

I grinned up at my clients, allowing my more playful smirk to flash across my face. It was a pretty slow day and none of us had that many clients, which was just fine with me, mostly because it usually meant I could spend the whole hour posing little challenges and games to my clients. Or sometimes it meant we could all just fall into a cuddle pile and fall half-asleep, just drowsily discussing whatever came to mind. I frankly enjoyed both.

Today, we were playing, and blessedly most of my clients were my regulars, so they all knew how fucking stupid I was about accepting shitty dares. We'd been playing for a bit, and really it showed. Nikola, one of my shyest first year's regulars had wound up sitting in the lap of Lilian, who was one of the tallest girls I'd ever met. Kai was wearing his blazer underneath his undershirt, and Mikan, a girl who's type was more Kyoya than me, had put her shoes into her pocket.

On my part, I'd given my blazer to Honey-senpai to wear as some kind of lab coat, and I'd let Nikola braid the roses from a nearby flower vase into my hair. With great difficulty, mind you, because Nikola wasn't particularly graceful, and my hair wasn't really the kind of hair you could braid.

The one issuing the dare this time was Sora, and though she was utterly _beautiful,_ with the flower hairpin she always wore, the smirk on her face was scaring me. "Yes, my heaven?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, because well, I was never known to act rationally.

She chuckled, pointing to the twins, who had their green berets on and were playing their little game. "I dare you to try and win the 'Which one is Hikaru!" Game." Okay, that. . . was actually not bad.

"Only that, dear Heaven?"

Then, smirking, she shook her head. "And if you fail. . . you have to kiss every single person that requests you for the rest of the day."

All my guests cheered at her, and I cackled, closing my hand over hers at the table. "Oh, my heaven," I drawled, leaning over the table and tilting her face up to meet my eyes. "If you wanted a kiss from me, you could have just asked~"

She blushed, then, but apparently she'd been my guest for too long and had learned too much from me, because despite her blush, she only batted her eyelashes at me and faked a confused expression. "But Manaka-kun, you said nothing was fun unless we worked for it," she whispered, with acting skill that would put Tamaki to shame, and for it she earned another burst of cheers from my other guests.

"Oh, my sweet, you're beautiful enough that you wouldn't need to work for it," I whispered back, gently carding my fingers through her long hair. She only whimpered, however, shyly turning away. Though of course I had no doubt that it was faked, it was still impressively acted.

"M- Manaka-kun, you're — you're not saying that I couldn’t work for it, are you?"

Lilian burst into laughter then and thumped Sora on the back, not at all bothering to hide her loud, booming laughter. "Sora-chan, you beautiful soul!" she jeered. "I support this! I fully support this!"

I pouted at them. "You guys are mean," I muttered, but Kai only patted me on the shoulder. He was honestly really damn hot, his body well-sculpted from being part of the swimming club, his hair long and braided and messy from him taking off his shirt and then pulling it back on carelessly.

"Manaka-kun, you already knew that," he cackled, and then he shoved me out of seat and towards the Hitachiin twins. "Now, go. I'd like that kiss, too, beautiful~!"

"You're not giving me very good motivation to win the game, Kai!"

The twins looked up at me as I stumbled towards them, cackling like a witch and shaking my head fondly. They were playing with their clients, too, playing the afore-mentioned "Which one is Hikaru!" game, that allegedly no maiden had ever once won. The game consisted of them wearing their berets and hiding which way their hair was parted, as well as speaking in complete unison so that their voices couldn't be identified.

"Oh, Aki!" they cheered in unison, and also in perfect unison, they came up behind me and wrapped their arms around my waist. The twin on my right gently leaned against my shoulder, and the one on my left laid his hand on my chest. "So nice of you to join us~"

I chuckled, not bothering to ask them to get off me. Hey, I'm touch-starved, what can I say? "And so nice of you to treat a guy so well," I purred, throwing my arms around their shoulders. "But I can't stay long, unfortunately; I'm just here for a little game."

"Oh?" they looked up at me in unison, their supposedly innocent expressions turning wicked and teasing. "You think you can play our game, Aki-kun?"

I faked a sigh, throwing a gentle glance back to my guests, who were watching us intently. "Truthfully, I'm extremely tempted to throw it, because I've not been given very good consequences. . ." and at that, Sora blushed and played with her skirt, apparently much less flirty when on her own, but I threw her a smirk and faced the twins again. "But unfortunately, I've got a reputation to back-up. Give me a chance to try?"

They both smirked at that, before nodding eagerly and dancing around one another, as if shuffling the deck, and then they stood before me with arms spread out. "Alright then!" they declared, before standing up straight and giving me bright, shining grins. "Do you know which of us is Hikaru?"

I stared, for a while, looking for ways to tell. There were tells, already, showing how different the twins really were — Hikaru stood the tiniest bit straighter, less careful about whether or not he'd fall backwards, and Kaoru was angled more towards his brother than me, seeking Hikaru's guidance, watching him intently. Hikaru's hair was neater than Kaoru's, too, seeing as their previous sketch had included Hikaru ruffling his little brother's hair. Any of that would've been evidence enough. But. . . honestly, none of that was any fun.

So rather, I walked straight up to the twin on the left. . .

And grabbed his tie, tugging him towards me and kissing him on the nose.

The twin I'd grabbed turned stark _red_ , stumbling backwards suddenly and staring at me in disbelief, looking like he might fall over. And _then,_ I knew my instincts were spot on — and that I'd grabbed the twin who'd give me the better response.

"Hikaru," I said, and then I reached over and snatched the beret of his head — revealing that I'd been right. His blush only worsened, then, and then it got even worse when I tugged him close by his tie again. "I'd recognise that beautiful blush anywhere. . ."

By then, most of my clients and the clients sitting with the twins leapt out of their seats, either to crowd Hikaru and get a better view of his blush, or to crowd me and demand answers. One of the guys crowding me was Kai, who threw an arm around my shoulder, half-cackling and halfway pretending to pout. "Aww, no kiss for me, then, Manaka-kun?" he asked, and I cackled.

"You could just ask, Kai-kun. Frankly, I think I'm getting tired of waiting for you to ask me," I sighed, fluttering my eyelashes at him, and earning yet another burst of laughter. Sora, Lilian, and Nikola came up to us, then, too, though mostly it was Lilian dragging the two behind her.

"How — how did you know, Manaka-kun?" Nikola asked, his blush burning through and showing even on his dark skin. He was playing with his fingers, not entirely looking at me, because despite being quite comfortable in his sexuality, he was still so adorably shy.

I moved away from Kai and took Nikola's hand, then, making him glance up at me with wide eyes, and before he could avert his eyes again, I leaned in and pressed my forehead to his. "Oh, Niko-kun, were you planning to ask for my kiss, too?" Then, when he tensed and swallowed, I faked a sigh and looked away, pressing my free hand to my heart. "How cruel you must think I am, depriving you of something we both wanted. . ."

He whimpered at that, and I bit back a chuckle. "Perhaps you'll accept this, Niko-kun, and forgive me. . ." Gently, but of course, as dramatic as I could possibly make it, I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, prolonging it far more than I strictly needed to.

In English, completely dropping my Japanese accent, I whispered, " _Please forgive me, Nikola. . ._ "

He. . . just about combusted at that. He backed off, tearing his way out of my hold and then quickly leaping behind Kai. There was a harsh blush on his face, but he was biting down on his bottom lip, like he was trying far too hard not to smile. He was, however, failing, and Kai burst into laughter all over again as he tugged Nikola into his side.

"I agree with him, though." Sora was stood by Lilian, her arms crossed but her face bright and marked with amusement. "How did you know he was Hikaru from his reaction?"

I chuckled, shrugging as I glanced over to where Hikaru was being questioned by his guests, and also to where his blush still wasn't going down. "Honestly, I didn't; I already knew which twin I had. Kaoru was leaning a little more towards his brother, and Hikaru was standing a little straighter. His hair's also messier. I really just picked out Hikaru because I knew he'd be more fun!"

I finished my sentence with a wink, and also to the absolutely wonderful sounds of Hikaru shrieking indignantly in the background. Apparently, as I would discover when Kaoru came up to me and tapped my shoulder, his twin had left him with the ladies.

"More fun how?" Lilian asked, head tilted to one side. She'd been primarily Hikaru's guest before I joined up, but evidently she was more interested in someone more mature. Not sure why she picked me for that, honestly. "I would've thought you'd go for Kaoru, if a fun reaction is what you were expecting."

"Nope," I said, shaking my head. "Kaoru would just play along. He's a lot more confident in himself than Hikaru is, though he's a lot more quiet about it. Hikaru, on the other hand. . ." I smirked, meeting the elder twin's eyes over the group of girls still fawning over him. "Hikaru's used to everything being on _his_ terms. He's used to being in control. And thus, he's more entertaining when something _isn't_ what he expected."

Hikaru, still bright red, huffed and sat back down, apparently content to ignore me for the time being. I winked at him, and he only crimsoned further, crossing his arms and looking away.

With that, I herded my own guests away to continue our game. And if I tugged Nikola a little closer, just to fluster him further, well, I can't be blamed.

And if I winked conspiratorially at Kai, who took a moment to stare and smile at Nikola's gorgeous blush and shy happiness, no one had to notice that, either.


	5. Episode 5, Part 2! Stupid Fucking Twins!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aki likes mysteries, boys, and kyoya.

Ah, how I love it when Kyoya says I'm a terrible influence. Because it usually means I've caused the most interesting kind of shenanigans in the club, either by forcing Kyoya to pick up swearing in English, or by causing something resembling an epidemic, what with how many of the students suddenly wanted to play the "Which one if Hikaru!" Game.

I'd told the guests that I'd give a kiss to anyone who could successfully tell the twins apart, which meant I didn't have any guests at the moment as was free to wander over to Kyoya, who greeted me through informing me of how terrible I was. Which, thankfully, was something I already knew.

I chuckled as another of my guests — Hiro, the conductor of the school student orchestra and son of a director-producer couple who was — failed to correctly identify the twins, after they'd correctly realised that Hiro would be able to tell them apart by their voices, and had promptly shut up. Kyoya, sitting next to where I was standing, rolled his eyes, but when I glanced at him, I could see the laughter he was hiding behind his hand.

"Your clients appear rather excited today, don't they?" he asked, smiling his gentle smile at me, and I cackled.

"Of course," I said, grinning at him and ending the sentence with a wink. At that, he chuckled, shaking his head fondly, and I shared his smile as I reached over and wrapped my arms around his neck, supporting my weight through him and the chair. "There's no better way to get everyone riled up than with a little mystery, don't you agree?"

"Well, that, I can't help but agree with." He whipped out his book again, and this time, it opened to a series of dotted pages with various lists on them. When he held it out to me, it was opened to a list of notes about my ancestry. "Three days to correctly guess your other half, yes? This month has flown by faster than I expected it to."

I nodded, reading the notes over his shoulder. Written down was the initial hint I'd given him — take my name, and add three letters from my last name, and you'd get the words for "you are mine" in my native language — as well as various other notes. Notes about the kind of food I gravitated to, the kind of clothes I liked to wear, even mannerisms about the way I structured my sentences that could be traced back to my home country. I chuckled.

"Quite a comprehensive list there," I said, chuckling as I read over a note he'd made on a rant about weird greetings in my home country. I still stood by it, because honestly, who declares "I'm human!" when they want to enter a house? "Really, I'm disappointed that you haven't got it yet; I'm not at all secretive about it."

He chuckled, giving me his gentle smile and shrugging slowly. "Perhaps giving me the right motivation would serve me well, then," he said, before motioning with his pen to my guests. One of the first years tried to give the twins a math problem to solve, having realised that Hikaru was better with maths than anything else, but she'd chosen a problem far too tedious for even Hikaru to solve mentally. Had she been watching closely, though, she'd have seen the recognition in Hikaru's eyes, proving that he did know how to solve it, he'd just need some time. Kaoru had stared blankly at the problem.

Kyoya nudging me brought my attention back to him. "Exactly what did you promise them, in exchange for their victory?"

I gave him a wide smirk, and, lowering my lips to his ear, I whispered, "Why, Ootori-kun? Are you seeking a reward from me, too?"

With shining eyes and his mischievous smile, he said, "Perhaps. Or," he lowered his book and pushed up his glasses, "perhaps I would like a touch more motivation to succeed in your little task."

I cackled, shaking my head fondly and leaning against his shoulder, before whispering in his ear, "I promised them a kiss."

He shut the book and whipped around so abruptly that I nearly stumbled backwards. His eyes were full of fire and his eyebrows were knitted so closely together, but because I'm a slut, that's not why I froze. Mostly, it was because I could feel him _breathing_ on my lips, and _God_ , I wanted to kiss him. Frankly, there's never a time when I don’t want to kiss him.

"You _what?!"_ he growled, and God, I could feel myself blushing at his tone. How I loved drawing the most intense emotions out of this guy. " _Manaka!_ You can't _do_ that! _"_

I arched an eyebrow, unable to help my grin as I leaned into his space even more, if only to stare at those gorgeous eyes. "And why might that be, my dear King? I seem to recall you telling me that I could conduct my hosting however I see fit, so long as I don't harm the club's business. And the guests definitely seem up for it."

He growled, his fists clenched and close to snapping his pencil in half, a gorgeous blush on his face. I smirked, snapping my head back and standing up straight again, making sure that his eyes followed my every move. Then, looking away and pretending to be nonchalant, I said, "Or could it be that you want that kiss for yourself? I won't blame you, if so. I think it's cute."

I threw him a wink, and he snarled before turning back around. I cackled, before perking up. Haruhi was walking by the twins' table.

I walked over, though of course, not before quickly pecking Kyoya on the top of his head, making him jump and startle as I winked at him and walked away to watch Haruhi and the twins. I had no doubt at all that she'd guess correctly — which would make for a very, _very_ interesting time indeed.

"That's the stupidest game I've ever heard of," she grumbled as she walked by them, and both the twins turned to her, frowning.

"Hey, what does that mean? Have you got a problem with it?" they asked in unison, evidently still playing the game. Hiro growled to himself, and I chuckled and winked when our eyes met. The twins had ruled, when they saw how many people wanted to play their game, that every guest could only guess once a day.

"Yeah, kinda." She turned, cocking her head towards both of them. "Actually, I still don’t get why the two of you are so popular."

"That's not very nice." The twins shared pouting looks, before ripping off their berets and coming up to her. Hikaru, as expected, put his arm on her shoulder, while Kaoru kept more to himself, even as he mirrored his brother's pose.

"I'm disappointed," Hikaru sighed, with Kaoru nodding and adding, "I thought you'd at least understand the merits of having a pair of twins in the host club."

"Listen up!" They both let go of her, then, clinging to each other once again, with Hikaru holding onto his brother's waist and Kaoru content to lean into his brother, again keeping more to himself than Hikaru usually would. "Just the fact that we're both incredibly good-looking _and_ homosexual scores a lot of points with the girls. Aki's proof enough of that, if you don't believe us. And while two hot guys who struggle between their attraction and their friendship is intriguing enough. . ."

Kaoru, as always, followed up Hikaru's sentences. "The taboo of us being twins is our biggest weapon."

"Besides," Hikaru sighed, approaching one of their more hesitant clients, who up until then hadn't said a word, opting to just sit and watch. He lifted her chin, so close to her she could probably hear him breathing. "Who hasn't fantasised about twins?"

"Having two guys devoted to you, always there for you . . . Isn’t it a maiden's greatest fantasy?" Kaoru asked, mirroring Hikaru's pose, though he went a step further and kissed their guest on the cheek.

On her part, the girl froze for a few moments, before turning bright red and muffling a scream in her hands. The other guests who were watching them squealed, some of them having to grab onto each other so they didn't fall down. I chuckled and walked up to them, quickly throwing my arms around their shoulders. "And what about young men, hmm, boys?" I asked, in particular leaning into Hikaru, because he quickly turned as red as his guest.

Apparently, being used to girls' attraction meant that he was so, so easy to fluster when confronted by a good-looking guy.

Kaoru chuckled, leaning into my shoulder and smiling his gentle, demure smile. It was nothing like Kyoya's, none of it calculated and none of it deceptive; it was sincere, but all the same, mysterious. "Well, it'll be hard sharing Hikaru with another guy, but — but if that's what he wants, I—"

"There's no need to worry, Kaoru!" Hikaru shouted, already catching on to the act. I smirked. "No matter who we're with, I'll always be there with you! You — you'll always be the most important one in my life. . ."

"H- Hikaru. . . " Kaoru looked away, blushing deeply, as his brother held his hands and pulled him closer. Haruhi, in response to the act, rolled her eyes. "Good grief."

She probably had more to say — actually, no, knowing Haruhi, she likely did not have more to say — but we were very efficiently interrupted by Tamaki running from what seemed like halfway across the school and then trying to strangle the three of us at once. "Hikaru! Kaoru! Aki!" he shouted, and I flinched away from his voice. Hikaru and Kaoru only rolled their eyes.

"What?" Kaoru asked, head tilted to the side, looking utterly bored.

"When I said that you three could manage the club website," Tamaki bit out, his eye twitching and his tone utterly _fucking_ pissed, "I did so on one condition. That you take it SERIOUSLY!"

Hikaru scrunched up his nose. "We take our job very seriously, boss."

"We worked hard until early morning yesterday," Kaoru added, winking at Tamaki, who looked none too pleased. He might've hit Kaoru in the face with the tablet he was holding, but instead he just shrieked.

"And THIS is what you worked so hard on!" Tamaki shouted, opening up the screen and shoving it in our faces, treating all of us to a very, very close view of a picture of Haruhi topless, back to the camera and with a gentle smile on her face. "And this, too! This! This! This!"

He scrolled through a series of images on the website, most of them of Haruhi indeed, until he got to a section that I actually had seen before. It was a new series of photographs and postcards that the twins had thought up, called, "Dream of Me." Mostly it just involved the hosts lying somewhat naked in bed and leering at a camera.

So far, we only had the pictures of the twins and of me, but we were planning on expanding it, given the consent of the other hosts.

"WHEN!" he shrieked again, handing the tablet off to a bunch of guests who'd caught sight of the photos and wandered over, and I flinched.

"When fucking what?!" I hissed, letting go of the twins so that I could cover my ears. Tragedy, I know, I should really be used to it by now. But alas, my ears would still be assaulted every single damn time Tamaki opened his mouth.

"WHEN DID YOU TAKE NAKED PICTURED OF YOURSELVES?!" Tamaki shrieked, making me flinch and back off again, though because the word was unfair, the twins just blinked innocently at their president. Did being damn rich also make them immune to each other's bullshit? "AND ESPECIALLY OF HARUHI!"

His face turned from aggressive to tearful, and he cried, "YOU BRIBED HER DIDN'T YOU!"

Unfortunately, by then, my easily distracted ass was no longer paying attention. And also because—

" _Manaka_ ," a dark voice said from behind me, and I whirled around. There stood Kyoya, looking as composed and gorgeous as he always did, but with a voice and a look on his face that could put the damned devil to shame. And if I got a little weak in the knees, because dangerous guys turned me on, well, sue me. " _What did you do?_ "

"Nothing I didn't want to, my King," I said with a wink, pretending I wasn't as flustered as I really was, but again, could I be blamed? He was fucking _hot_. "There's no need to be worried about me."

His hands clenched tightly around his binder. He looked more furious, his anger more uncontrolled and physical than he usually allowed it to be. Usually, the fucker was perfectly composed even when dishing out potential threats. His voice was low as he growled, "There never is, or so you say." Then, stepping towards me, he hissed, "Tell me how you got those pictures."

I cackled, and despite his glare, I walked up to him and brushed his hair back, shaking my head fondly. "I didn't get Haruhi to strip and pose for us, if that's what you're thinking. The pictures are edited," I said, pointing to Tamaki who'd received the same information from the twins, and I bit back a grin at the sigh of relief he let out. He was so damn obvious about how caring he was, about how sweet he really was, and it was still so fucking weird how he was known as the Shadow King.

Then, his eyes narrowed and he turned to me. "What about you, then?" I raised an eyebrow at that, and he bit out, "Did you pose for those godforsaken pictures?"

I chuckled, shrugging carelessly and grinning at him as I backed off. "Who knows, really?" Then, when he growled and glared at me harder, only for me to wink and toss my hair back, I added, "But _fuck_ , the Hitachiin mansion is utterly _amazing_."

He growled even more at that, and I winked at him before striding away. I still had guests to attend to, after all.




I looked away for two minutes. Two goddamn minutes.

My guests came up to me when I approached them, with one of my bolder clients — Chiako, a second year student who was shorter than Haruhi but with a personality that could rival Renge's — shamelessly asking if I wanted to go to her home for our own personal photoshoot and the rest of my clients either offering the very same thing or just blushing to heck. So, as was the only wise thing to do, I easily flirted back, telling them that I'd rather be taking pictures of them, so that I could take them back home with me for, shall we say, a little _fun_. Nikola and Aina, another of my guests from the first year classes, excused themselves, blushing profusely, and retreated to the back to fan themselves.

I was just about enjoying it, up until I heard Kaoru burst into laughter and Hikaru answer with hostility instead of his usual playfulness.

And when I turned around, I saw the twins glaring at each other like they meant to kill, and instantly I wished to evaporate into nothingness because I knew that this would not be pretty.

  
Whatever the fuck "this" actually was.

"Don't turn this on me, Hikaru," Kaoru said, his voice calm but barely concealing. . . Anger? Resentment? What the fuck? "After all I'm the one who's always going along with your silly little selfish games."

Hikaru only scoffed, turning to side, his mouth twisted in a scowl. I and Haruhi exchanged confused glances, me trying to ask ' _what the fuck'_ with my face, and her replying, _'I don't fucking know'._ "I may come up with them but you're the one who really gets into them, Kaoru. Just stop if you hate them so much; why do you even try to keep up with me?"

Kaoru huffed, but he didn’t move or even turn, instead keeping his eyes trained on his brother. "Because if I didn't, then I'd have to watch you make an ass of yourself in front of everyone. It was your idea to call Haruhi our toy," I nearly choked, then, because when the fuck had _that_ happened, "but even then, I could see you eyeing up Aki. I could see that you'd have included him if only he was paying attention then. That's the only reason you ever do anything — you crave attention."

He stepped forward then, taking the confident stance usually inhabited by his brother, and said, "Face it. You're in love with Aki, aren't you, Hikaru?"

Hikaru flinched at that, and seemingly every damn eye in the place turned to me. Now, because I had no sense of self-preservation, I didn't budge, even if it was probably the smart idea, what with Kyoya whipping around to face me, his eyes blazing with — with something. Something I couldn't recognise. Something dangerous and yet also something sweet, something beautiful something I wanted to reach out and touch, even if it would burn me—

"What?" Kyoya growled, but with the way he quickly shut his mouth and turned away, it was pretty clear it hadn't been intentional.

"As if!" Hikaru yelled, recovering very quickly but not quite smoothly, if the blush on his face that was darker than his hair was any indication. "Don't project your stupid feelings onto me, you moron! Not all of us have dick for brains!"

That made Haruhi cringe and Tamaki wither, with the latter exclaiming, "There are some things you cannot say and that is one of them!"

I chuckled, leaning against one of the pillars in the club room, very much trying to hide that I was both intrigued and terrified of whatever the fuck was happening. "I've got dick for brains," I cheered, raising my hand and smiling, but Tamaki only let out a louder scream. The twins, on their part, ignored us.

"I wouldn't fall for someone that bitchy, both with his looks and that mouth of his!"

I cackled as Kaoru raised an eyebrow, and far too smoothly for my sanity, said, "Thought a lot about his mouth, haven't you?"

Hikaru flushed even darker, spitting out incoherent noises and sounds that absolutely do not count as words in any language.

"My, my, Manaka, what a charmer you are," a deep, velvety voice said, pretty much directly in my ear, though I didn't so much as flinch, instead turning around to meet Kyoya's eyes. He looked halfway amused, though there was something to that spark in his eyes, something forced, something he was hiding. "You're getting very popular these days, aren't you?"

"Aren't I?" I chuckled, giving him a gentle smile. He rolled his eyes, leaning against my shoulder and returning to his book. He was writing, this time, though because he was writing in hiragana — no, I don't know how to read that, either — I didn't bother trying to understand what the hell he was on about. "I must say, it's quite the boost to the ego. I'm feeling much too prideful for myself."

He chuckled, rolling his eyes again. "Oh, really?" he asked, in a tone that made it clear that he wasn't really asking. "Aren’t you so very proud of being the very personification of Pride, Manaka-kun? Or perhaps, the personification of Lust?"

I shrugged, turning over and leaning into him, holding his back to my chest and that slipping my hands into my pockets. Setting my head on his shoulder, I whispered, "Why restrict me, my Devil? Make me everything. Make me Sin, through and through. Make me serve you. What else am I for?"

At that, he turned to me, stifling a laugh in my shoulder as he leaned into my touch. "How poetic of you, Manaka-kun. Are you quite set on your career path as a physicist? Because it seems the life of a writer would suit you."

"Honestly, I have no idea," I huffed, dropping the character entirely. Well, not entirely, because I'm a dramatic little shit. "I like physics, and there's a lot of research I want to do into math and chemistry. I also wanna teach, actually, but well . . . I have no idea. Eh, who gives a damn, I've got three years to figure my shit out."

Then, quietly, I sighed and kissed his shoulder. "Guess it's not quite the same for you guys, huh?"

He let out a sad, dry laugh, shutting his book and leaning into me even further, like he wanted to squish us together. I held him closer, and if I felt him muffle a gasp as I pressed my hips into him, neither of us said a thing. "Not at all. My life is decided for me. . . whether or not I want it."

I snorted. "Yeah, fuck that."

I would've said more, but as seemed to be their habit, the twins interrupted our moment with them screaming, "THAT'S IT, WE'RE OVER!"

. . . Why does the fun shit always happen the second I look away from it?


End file.
